Crossing a Burnt Bridge
by Nando the RPS King
Summary: [Reno x Tifa] 'Do you still hate me? ' he asked as blood oozed from the corner of his mouth.
1. Chapter 1

Crossing a Burnt Bridge

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Disclaimer: I don't own FF7, or any of it's characters, or enough money to be worth suing for copyright infringement. But I do own a spork.

Note: Text in /these/ is a character's thoughts.

* * *

She had been straightening up the stools in front of the bar in preparation for tonight's clean up when she heard the door open behind her. "We're closing in ten minutes." she announced.

"I'll make it quick, then." a strangely familiar voice said from behind her.

Wondering where she'd heard it before, she turned and her burgundy eyes went wide with surprise. He's dressed differently than she'd seen him before, in jeans, a plain white t-shirt, and a brown leather bomber jacket, but she instantly recognized him by his fiery red hair, lightly glowing aquamarine eyes with a scar beneath each, and the smirking expression that seemed to say that he's privy to some private joke.

His smirk slipped and his eyes widened slightly with surprise, but only for a moment, then his customary expression returned. "Hey, there, beautiful. Didn't expect to run into you tonight." he said, walking closer. Something about the way he walked put her in mind of a predatory animal.

"I don't serve assassins here." she declared, eyes filled with anger.

"That's all in the past. Haven't been one of those since the company fell apart. For what it's worth, I never liked doing those jobs. I'm just a cashier nowadays. Shitty work, but it pays the bills." He now stood a little over a foot away from her.

"Leopards don't change their spots. Get out, no one wants you around here."

He closed his eyes and chuckled lightly for a moment, then opened them, fixing her with a piercing gaze. "I hear that a lot. It's like everyone who recognizes me wants me to be a hermit or something. Heh, makes it kinda hard to hold down a job. Now, I've had a rough day today, babe. Is it too much to ask to buy five minutes worth of hard drinks before heading home?"

"Too much to ask?" she demanded, feeling her temper snap inside her. "Was it too much to ask to let the people in Sector Seven live?" She punctuated this question with a vicious left hook to his head. "To let Jessie live?" She followed this with a powerful right cross to his left eye. "And Biggs?" Another punch. "Wedge?" Yet another. Her old anger at Shin-Ra and it's blue suited enforcers had boiled over and she continued her assault, now growling unintelligibly with each strike. A powerful uppercut lifted him from his feet, dropping him on the floor. He snapped back to his feet an instant later with a smooth kicking maneuver.

She took a half step back and raised her hands in a defensive posture, expecting a counter-attack. She was very surprised when he simply stood there with his hands at his sides and a resigned expression on his face. /Why doesn't he try to fight back? I've seen him fight before, he should've been able to block most of that./ she thought. She looked into his eyes and saw something unexpected, sorrow and a hint of self-loathing. Her anger faded, replaced by shame. She had always prided herself on her self-control and was shocked at her lapse. "I... I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"It's alright, I deserved that. Now about those drinks..."

"No, it's not alright. You're bleeding. I had no right to do that. Now, sit down." She took him by the shoulder and guided him to the nearest barstool.

"I've had worse. Don't worry about it." he said while she put up the closed sign and locked the front door. She then pulled a small first aid kit from behind the bar and sat on a stool next to him. As she opened the kit, she briefly wished she hadn't sold all of her materia to pay for her new bar, then began to pull out the items she'd need to repair the damage she'd caused. "Do you still hate me?" he asked as blood oozed from the corner of his mouth.

Surprised at the unexpected question, she turned towards him and burgundy met aquamarine, separated by mere inches. Silence reigned as she sincerely pondered his question. He could tell from her eyes that she was deep in thought and she saw a mixture of hope, trepidation, and sorrow in his. "No. I just don't have it in me to hate you anymore."

The ends of his lips curved slightly upwards when he heard this and she was surprised to note that it's not a smirk or sneer like she'd seen so many times in the past, but a genuine smile that's reflected in his eyes. "You don't know how glad I am to hear that." he said, relief plain in his voice.

"If you didn't like doing work like that, why didn't you quit?" she asked as she soaked a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol.

"I couldn't. The only ways to stop being a Turk're to get killed or get too old or too badly wounded to be any use to the company. Doing anything disloyal like trying to quit got punished pretty harshly. Hell, you saw what happened to Valentine." He winced a little as she used the cotton ball to clean where she'd split the skin over his left eyebrow. "They made it even worse for guys like me that had family, cause they'd be punished too."

"You had family?" she asked, surprised. Somehow she had never thought of that possibility.

"Yeah. My mom, little sister, brother-in-law, niece, and two nephews. President Shin-Ra threatened to give them to Hojo to experiment on if I didn't drop the plate."

"That's horrible! How could he?"

"That's how he worked. If he couldn't buy someone, he'd threaten everything they cared about. I've had to carry out his threats before, so I knew he wasn't bluffing. Where'd you think Rufus got his ideas? He just skipped straight to step two."

"At least you saved them." she said while she stuck a small bandage to his forehead and wished she had something more comforting to say.

"For a while. They were in shelter C in Sector Four when Meteor hit."

"Oh, I'm sorry." She'd read about that shelter and a few others like it in the paper, about how they'd taken direct hits from the twisters that had descended from Meteor, killing all inside.

"Yeah, me too. I never could tell them what I did for them, was always afraid they'd hate me. I'm sure they heard rumors, but they never said anything. I... Aww, shit." he blurted out as he slapped a hand over his face, covering his eyes. "Thought I was over this..." he mumbled, almost too quietly for her to hear. "I should get going. Sorry for bothering you." he said in a slightly shaky voice that was a clear sign he was fighting to control it.

She gently pushed him back down on his stool, noting that he forced himself to take deep, slow breaths, yet was not fully in control and shuddered slightly when he exhaled. "You're in no condition to go anywhere right now."

"I'll be fine, really. I... don't want anyone to see me like this."

"It'll have to come out eventually. Better here than when you're walking down the street. I wouldn't want you to stumble into traffic or something."

His voice bacame less steady as he spoke again. "You're too kind. Sure you don't want me to wander into traffic?"

If someone had told her this morning that by the end of the day she'd be comforting one of her most hated enemies, she'd have laughed and called them crazy. Yet here she was, looking at him not as an enemy who had escaped justice, but as a hurt man in need of help. Her nurturing side took over and she reached out, wrapping both arms around him. "Of course I'm sure. Go on, you need to let it out."

Having finally lost the slim amount of control he'd held, his breaths became ragged and his shoulders began to shake. "I always did whatever it took to protect them." he choked out. "So many suffered because I loved them so damned much I'd do anything for them. Always told myself I made the best choices I could. I... I'm not so sure now. I killed thousands to protect a handful. But in the end, it was all for nothing. Nothing. Was... was everything I did in life a mistake?"

She wished she could think of something to say, but nothing appropriate came to mind. During her Avalanche days she'd been a confidant to most of her teammates. She'd been able to listen to anything and even lend a shoulder when needed and keep quiet about it, but she'd never heard anything like this. He began to slowly regain control, forcing his breathing into a slow and deep pattern. Within a few minutes, he appeared to be composed again. "I'm fine." he insisted. "I must be coming down with some sorta weird flu that's messing with my head or something."

As she let go and sat back on her stool, she noticed that he appeared distinctly embarrassed and had his eyes fixed on the floor. "It's okay, I'm used to seeing that sort of thing. Sometimes I think I have 'tell me all your problems' tattooed on my face and I'm the only one who can't see it." she casually remarked. "I've seen about half of Avalanche like that, and you'd be surprised how often I see customers open up like that."

"It's your eyes."

"What about my eyes?"

"Er... Well, they're sorta kind and trustworthy looking. At least when you're not pissed off." he answered, embarrassed and wishing he'd kept his mouth shut.

"Thanks. Hey, no need to get all embarrassed like that. You're just being human. I've seen some really tough-looking people open up and start bawling like you wouldn't believe. Even people I'd never met before. Some of them even had worse excuses than that flu thing you came up with."

"Yeah, that was pretty lame." he admitted with a faint rueful smile on his face. "Guess I'm not exactly in top form today."

"Still want that drink?"

"Yeah, how about a whisky sour?" he said while finally looking up at her again. "Damn, sorry about messing up your shirt."

She looked down and saw his blood on the right shoulder of her shirt from where she'd hugged him. "It's not your fault. Sorry again for making you bleed." she said while walking around the bar.

"Hey, I'll be fine. I've had a lot worse. Hell, you've given me worse, back during the whole Sephiroth thing." he said with a chuckle as she passed him his drink. She's interested to notice that he can somehow appear charming despite a badly bruised face.

"That doesn't make it right." she said, beginning to clean up while talking. "I misjudged you. I guess you're not the soulless snake I used to think you were. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. So, what happened to your old crew? They in town too?"

"No, after Meteor everyone just went their separate ways. Barret, Nanaki, and Yuffie keep in touch, but they all live on another continent so I don't see much of them."

"What, you didn't keep in touch with Chocobo-head?"

"Cloud? He disappeared right after Meteor without saying a word to anyone. No one's heard from him since."

"Too bad. You had a thing for him, didn't you?"

"Nothing serious, and him taking off like that ended those feelings pretty quick." The bitterness in her voice denied her words, but he didn't press the issue. "So, what about your old team?"

"We're still together, still as close as family too. We're all roommates, renting an old house. They're just working the night shift today. Rude's the doorman at a nightclub called the Electric Chocobo and Laney's waiting tables at Chatskie's."

"I'm glad to hear your friends stuck with you. So, where're you working as a cashier at?"

"Well, I'm not anymore. Some loudmouth customer recognized me this morning and bitched to the manager. So I got my last paycheck and severance pay and spent the rest of the day looking for another job. Know anyone that's hiring?"

"Yeah, I know someone. Ever work as a waiter?"

"A few times. Just don't ask for references, they all canned me for being me." he joked.

"Good, I've been short a waiter for over a week now. The job pays six gil an hour plus tips if you're interested."

He looked surprised by her offer. "You're serious? I'll take it! It'll be nice not having to worry about the boss finding out who I am. When do I start?"

"Right now. Give me a hand cleaning up."

"I'm on it." he declared before finishing his drink and walking around the bar to clean the glass. He then began to competently perform the tasks of cleaning up a bar, proving his past experience. "Hey, thanks. I really appreciate you giving me this job."

"All I'm giving you here's a chance. You'll have to prove yourself if you want to keep the job."

"That's still more than most folks'll give me nowadays."

"They just don't know you well enough."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well... You really surprised me tonight. You always acted like an insensitive jerk when I saw you before and your reputation matched. But that's not what I saw tonight. I saw someone who I wouldn't mind having working for me... or as a friend."

"You mean it?"

"Yeah. I'm good at reading people when I get a chance to talk with them."

"I... Thanks. It probably sounds dumb, but that means a lot to me."

"I understand. That's clean enough for tonight. You sure you're alright? Looks like you could use some ice for that."

"I'm fine. Hell, I actually feel better than when I walked in this place."

"You sure? I'm still feeling guilty for working you over like that. There anything I can do to make it up to you?" she asked as they walked towards the door.

"How about a date?" he asked on impulse, giving her his best charming look.

"A date?" she asked, surprised.

"Well, if you don't want to, you could just call it even for hiring me."

She looked him over and thought about his offer while she locked up. She had to admit to herself, she found him attractive and was intrigued by the side of him she'd seen that night. And she was also a little curious about if there was any truth behind his reputation as a ladies' man. So she decided to give him a chance in this as well. "Sounds fun. It's been a while since I've had time for dating."

"So, when's your next day off?"

"That could be a problem. I only have days off when the bar's closed. It's the downside of being the boss."

"How about a lunch date then? Tomorrow?"

"That'd be great."

"Mind if I walk you home?"

"I'd like that."

* * *

Author's Note: As usual, thanks to Noroi for kindly betaing for me. Well, here it is, my first ReTi. I've read plenty of ReTis where Tifa comes close to hitting him early on, so I wondered how things might play out if she gives in to her anger. The part with Reno's lapse of control was heavily influenced by episode 23 of Trigun. Chatskie's is a little homage to Office Space and probably spelled wrong too. Yes, that means poor Elena has to wear pieces of flair to work. I originaly planned this as a one-shot where Tifa forgives Reno and they're just friends after that, but I decided to take it farther. So, tell me what you think. Hopefully it turned out alright, most of this was written while having some insomnia. As always, if you review and have a fic in a fandom and language I know that I haven't already reviewed I'll return the favor.

Edited again because some site update deleted all the '--' lines I used to use to denote scene changes. So time to slap horizontal rulers into all my fics.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

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As she walked down the stairs of the small rental house the three ex-Turks shared, Elena spotted her red-haired housemate sitting on the couch. The sound of digitized gunfire and explosions came from the TV. "Hey, today's not your day off. You get fired again?" she asked from behind him while walking into the kitchen.

"Yep." he answered with unexpected cheer.

"You don't sound hung over. Find a new job already, or are you breaking our tradition?"

"Heh, found myself a new job last night, Laney."

"I think that's a new record for you. Nice." she complimented him, then walked towards the couch while eating a bowl of cereal.

"Got me a date too." he announced.

/That explains his mood. I just hope he doesn't let himself get too involved this time. She'll probably dump him as soon as she recognizes that famous face of his. Last time that happened he was depressed for over a month./ "Well, that's good new... Holy shit! What happened to your face?" she asked as she came around the front of the couch and caught sight of his face. Much of it was covered by bruises that were beginning to yellow and his left eye was partially swollen shut.

"Come on, it's not that bad, Laney."

"It looks like someone ripped the whole ugly tree up by the roots and beat you over the head with it. What happened?"

He laughed at her comment before answering, "It's no big deal. Just got worked over by my date before I asked her out."

She looked at him skeptically. "Right. I see she beat you straight into Stockholm Syndrome. What's under here?" she asked while stepping in front of him and peeling up a corner of the bandage on his forehead.

"Ouch! Hey, thanks for getting Snake killed." Reno complained while he tossed his gamepad down on the couch. "Damn, and I almost managed to kill Volgin with a fork."

"You can fork him later, this needs stitches or it'll scar."

"It'll be fine. Geez, Laney, since when were you my mom?" he joked.

She rolled her eyes. "Is Rude gonna have to hold you down again?"

"Fine, make it quick." he conceded. He followed her into the kitchen where he sat in a chair while she pulled an old Shin-Ra field medic kit from a cabinet. After re-cleaning the small wound, Elena pulled out a suture kit and began to stitch it closed.

"Stop squirming, wuss." she teased.

"Hey, you know I don't like needles, Laney."

She smirked. "Stop being so weak."

"Heh, bet you've been waiting to use that one. Morning, Rude." he called out when he saw his other housemate walk down the stairs.

"The hell happened to you?" Rude asked, looking concerned.

"Laney decided to play doctor. Tell her this doesn't need stitches."

"She's right. So how'd you get the bruises?"

"I met a real hottie last night, buddy. She kicked my ass and gave me a new job."

"As what? A human punching bag?" Rude asked.

"No, I'm a waiter, smartass."

"So, did you get jumped twice yesterday, or is this the same woman you claim agreed to go on a date after beating you up?" Elena asked while finishing the sutures.

"Heh, it's the same babe. Yeah, I know it sounds crazy, but I'm pretty damned sure she didn't hit me hard enough to make me hallucinate." He then laughed a moment. "At least I hope she didn't. Anyways, remember Tifa Lockheart?" Both his friends look surprised.

"But, why would she do that?" Elena asked.

"Isn't it obvious? She jumped me cause she was still pissed about Sector Seven, then she gave me a job and said she'd go out with me cause I'm so damned sexy." When he saw that his friends looked skeptical he added, "And she liked how smooth and charming I am." A moment later he added, "Plus I... kinda told her about the whole my family being held hostage thing and what happened with their shelter..." The mood in the room turned serious when he mentioned his family. Both of Reno's housemates knew that this was still a sore subject for him.

"So, she believed you, huh?"

"Yeah, Laney, I was pretty convincing..."

"You sure asking your boss out's a good idea?" Elena asked.

"Not really, but that's never stopped me before." Reno joked. "Seriously, I'll be careful. I won't go doing anything that'll cost me the first job I've had in years that doesn't require a fake ID."

"Well, good luck." Rude said

"Yeah, I hope your date goes well." Elena adds.

* * *

When she answered the knock on her door, Tifa felt guilt over her loss of control wash over her again at the sight of the bruises on Reno's face. "Hey now, keep looking at me like that and I'm gonna start thinking I'm not wanted here." he joked with a lopsided grin.

"Sorry."

"Don't be. Look, over the years I've been shot, stabbed, zapped by materia, hit by cars, and broken mosta my bones at least once. A few bruises're no big deal. Couple more days and they'll fade enough that it'll be like they never happened. And it's not like you beat on someone who didn't deserve it. Hey, I forgive you, so stop beating yourself up over beating me up." His choice of words brought a hesitant smile to her face. "That's better."

"Come on in, I'm almost ready to go." she invited.

"Nice place. Hey, gotcha something." he said while walking inside before pulling a bouquet from behind his back. He silently congratulated himself on a good choice when he saw her eyes light up. He remembered a time when he would have been absolutely certain of the effect any word or gesture of his would have on a woman, but his confidence had been somewhat shaken during the time he had been living like a fugitive.

"How'd you know?"

"Well, roses're too cliché, so I figured you'd like something from your old home." he said while handing her the bouquet of assorted flowers native to the Nibel mountains.

"Thanks, that's really thoughtful." she said while holding the flowers close. /More thoughtful than I expected./ "My mom used to grow these. After she died, I took care of her flowerbeds. Flowers like this always remind me of her and how carefree I was when she was still alive."

"Good times, huh? Got a favorite?"

"Yeah, I always liked these the best." she said while pointing out a large purple blossom.

"Nice." He then pulled one of the type she'd pointed at from the bouquet and placed it in her hair, above her right ear. "But I think it looks better up here." She giggled. "What, too corny? Don't tell me I've lost my touch." he joked.

"No, it's just that I haven't worn flowers in my hair since my mom was alive."

"Oughta be a good reminder of your carefree days, then. You know, you're not too old to be carefree, at least for a while. Keep it in mind, you'll have more fun that way."

"Thanks. So, feeling any better?"

"Yeah, my face's hardly sore anymore."

"I wasn't talking about your face."

"Oh." His smile faded. "Yeah, I guess so. You don't have to worry about me wandering into traffic, at any rate."

"Hey, sorry for bringing it up. I need to go change, I'll be back in a few minutes." She then disappeared through a door in the back of the room. While he waited, Reno took the time to look around the front room of her apartment, finding it sparsely but tastefully decorated. The furniture consisted of a leather couch flanked by two endtables, a glass-topped coffee table, and a fair sized entertainment center.

He was browsing through the DVD collection shelved in the entertainment center when she returned. "You got good taste." he said while turning towards her. He then grinned and let out a wolf whistle. "Wearing that for me? I'm flattered."

She was wearing a simple sleeveless, knee-length red dress that clung to her curves and he was pleased to note that she still wore the flower he'd placed in her hair. "I bet you say that to all the girls. That suit you're in's not too shabby either. I think it's the first time I've seen you with your shirt tucked in." she said with a smile. "You know, for a while there I was afraid you wouldn't show."

"Well, for a while there I was afraid you were a concussion-induced hallucination. Good thing we got that sorted out." he laughed. "Seriously, though, who the hell would stand you up?"

"It's happened before."

"Shocking. So, where you wanna go?"

"There's a place a few blocks over I like if you don't mind the walk." she said while leading him out of her apartment and locking the door.

"Walking's fine by me." he said while starting towards the stairs. "So it's been, what, almost four and a half years since Midgar?" he asked, referring to the incident where the Turks and Avalanche met in Midgar's tunnel system and decided there was no point in fighting again. "What've you been up to since then?"

"Well, when Reeve re-organized the pieces of Shin-Ra left around Midgar, I joined up to help with the reconstruction. I spent about three years working in Human Resources, giving job interviews and assigning people to where they'd do the most good, but I was never happy there. The reconstruction had gotten far enough that no one needed to live in refugee camps anymore, and I figured they didn't really need me anymore. So I quit and went on a sort of extended vacation."

"I never thought you'd be the type to bum around. Sounds more like something I'd do." he said as they walked out onto the sidewalk.

"I needed time to think, to decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. So I caught a boat to Wutai and paid Yuffie a visit. The two of us've always been close friends, and you'd be surprised how much she's matured over the years. I spent a few months there and was feeling a lot better, but I still hadn't decided what to do. I headed to Cosmo Canyon next to visit Nanaki, Barret, and Marlene. Would you believe Barret's studying to become an elder?"

"I guess it makes sense, as much as that guy liked the planet."

"Yeah. That area's real peaceful, a good place for deep thinking. After a while, I realized that the last job where I'd really been happy was running my old bar in Sector Seven. I'd learned a lot about business during my time working for Reeve, so I figured I'd do even better this time. I decided to start fresh somewhere new, so I came to Junon. It took a while, but eventually I found a small bar owner who was willing to sell. I'd spent most of my savings, heh, bumming around as you put it, but I was able to raise plenty of money by selling off my materia. I had enough left to renovate and buy some marketing, and still have a cash reserve. I've been running the Second Chance ever since, having fun and making a nice profit. How about you?"

"First thing we did was cut a deal with Reeve. In exchange for busting him outa jail and setting him up as the new president, he let us retire. We headed out to Kalm to ride out the impact after me and Rude called our families to warn them to get outa town. Laney didn't have to worry, since she's from Junon and her folks still live here. Not long after Meteor blew up, I got the news about my family. Rude's only family was an older brother and, well, you remember how a bunch of people just disappeared in the blast?"

"Yeah." She also remembered very well the vast number of un-identifiable bodies recovered during the reconstruction of Midgar.

"If it weren't for Laney, the two of us would've drank ourselves to death. She's a lot tougher than she looks, you know? It took a lot of work, but she convinced us to pick ourselves up and start over. We all found new jobs and for almost a year life was pretty damned good. Laney and I'd managed to quit smoking, Rude'd cut way back and was close to quitting, we'd all cut back on the drinking, plus none of us needed sleeping pills anymore."

"Sleeping pills?"

"Yeah. They're about the only way to sleep well in our old line of work. Anyways, I'd found a job selling cars and did good enough I got promoted to managing the sales floor. Then I came into work one morning and saw the paper sitting there on the break-room table with my picture on the front page and the headline 'Butcher of Sector Seven Finally Revealed'. It felt like I'd been hit in the nuts with a sack of bricks. You know you've taken a damned hard hit when you can't describe it without mixing metaphors." he said with a sad smile.

"Sorry about that."

"Hey, you weren't the only Avalanche member the reporter interviewed. One less wouldn't've made any difference and a few ex-Shin-Ra troops were interviewed too. All it took was one witness and one reporter looking for fame. When I saw that article, all the air went out of my lungs and I had to sit down. I picked the paper up and tried to read it, but my hands were shaking so bad I had to put it back on the table before I could make out any of the words. Right below my picture were smaller pictures of Rude and Laney captioned 'known associates' and 'probable accomplices'. I don't know how long I sat there staring at the paper before my boss came in. Fired me, of course. Can't have a mass-murderer working for the company, it'd be bad publicity. So I was stumbling down the sidewalk when I decided to call my girl. I'd been dating her for a few months and she'd always been good to me, telling me she didn't care about the past and... well..."

"It was serious?"

He sighed and silently debated how much to tell. "Serious enough that I'd been carrying around a ring in my pocket for two weeks, waiting for the right time to pop the question." Tifa looked surprised. He continued in a bitter voice, "Yeah, that's right. Mr. one-night-stand, the incorrigible womanizer, was gonna settle down. I loved her and... she told me she'd read the paper and never wanted to see me again. Made it real clear she didn't want to hear any excuses."

"Sorry to hear that." She reached an arm around his shoulders and gave a reassuring squeeze as they walked down the sidewalk. "You don't have to tell any more if you don't want."

"It's alright. At least I still had the receipt. Anyways, my knees went out, or maybe I tripped on something, and I kinda... embarrassed myself in public. Luckily there weren't many people around. After I got back up, I dragged my sorry ass to the nearest liquor store. I hadn't drank anything stronger than beer or smoked for months, and I walked outa that place with a case of Vodka and a carton of smokes. I walked back to my condo, and life wasn't done shitting on me cause I found a note on the door from the landlord telling me I had a week to move out. So I called Rude to see if I could crash with him and found out he'd been fired by his boss and dumped by his girlfriend too. We got worried about Laney, so I called her, but she wasn't answering. I called Rude back and said to meet me over at Laney's place."

"We had to let ourselves in, cause she wasn't answering her door. She... Well, you see, she'd gotten engaged. We'd been helping her plan the wedding, it was supposed to be in less than a month. The bastard'd broken it off, and she was taking it pretty hard. She wasn't even in the Turks when I dropped the plate, but my past was making her suffer anyways. Heh, and I thought I'd felt guilty before. I still had the Vodka with me, so we crashed at her place and got trashed, hard. The Vodka let us forget for a while, but when we woke up the next afternoon with killer hangovers, we still had a pretty serious problem to deal with. So we put a pot of coffee on and got to work planning. We all agreed we had to get outa town. Kalm was too small, we needed to go somewhere we could disappear in a crowd. The story was on all the news networks, so we figured everyone in the world knew."

Tifa pointed to a restaurant a block away. "There's the place."

"Never ate there before. So, we had to find a new home. Midgar was outa the question, we probably woulda been lynched. Junon seemed like our best bet. We finally got a break when Laney called her folks. They didn't care what she'd been accused of, she was still their daughter, so they'd help her out. They even offered to let her two shady friends sleep on their couches until we found someplace to live. Damned nice folks. Before we left town, I paid Laney's ex a visit. See, she's like another little sister to me, and I don't like it when some jackass makes my little sister cry. I worked him over pretty thoroughly, he was probably eating through a tube for months and I wouldn't be surprised if he still can't walk. The bastard'll never be able to have kids either. I'll spare you the gory details, don't wanna ruin your appetite."

"Yeah, I'd appreciate if you didn't." she said while walking into the restaurant. "You came a little close there." The pair was seated at a small table in the non-smoking section, at Tifa's insistence. Reno felt tempted by the pack of cigarettes in his pocket, but felt that she was worth it. The waiter handed them menus, took their orders for drinks, and left.

"Our plan was to lie low and let the heat die down. For two years me and Laney dyed our hair brown and Rude quit shaving. It's worked well enough we stopped bothering with dye and Rude went back to shaving. Every now and then someone recognizes one of us, but it's not all that often. A few more years and most people oughta forget what Turks were."

"Sounds like you've really had it rough."

He shrugged. "It coulda been worse. I wasn't exaggerating when I said the three of us're like family. Long as we had each other, we could cope. Lying low and living like shut-ins whenever we weren't working for a couple years was boring as hell, though." The waiter briefly returned and gave them their drinks and a basket of rolls.

"There's something I've been wondering since yesterday, but you don't have to answer. Why didn't you do anything to defend yourself when I attacked you?" she asked after the waiter left.

He sounded tired when he answered, "Well, like I said, it'd been a rough day. I came in there looking to get wasted and you... kinda reminded me of my worst regrets. I... Well, after everything I'd done, you had a right to every swing, and I didn't really feel like trying to stop you."

"No, I didn't have a right to do that to you. The plate dropping was Shin-Ra's fault, and they've been dealt with. They used you, there wasn't anything else you could do."

"Maybe, but it doesn't make my hands any cleaner."

"My hands aren't clean either. I thought about it after you left last night and realized that if I'd been in your position, I would've done whatever Shin-Ra told me."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah. It wasn't easy to admit to myself, but I think most people would've done the same thing as you." His eyes took on a far-away look and he sat silently for several minutes. She waved a hand in front of his face and asked, "Hey, you still in there? Wake up, the waiter's coming back."

His eyes came back into focus and a sheepish expression came over his face. "Heh, sorry, kinda zoned out there..." The pair quickly ordered their meals and sent away the waiter. "I shouldn't be so surprised after last night, but how can you be so... understanding? Over half a million people died because of me and you're somehow symphasizeing with me? You amaze me, babe. Really."

"It's really not that hard. Once I got past my anger and had time to think about it, it was pretty obvious. If you're that surprised, why'd you ask me out? Wait, I didn't mean to phrase it like that. Don't think I'm not enjoying myself or something. I know that's a strange question, you don't have to answer it."

"It just felt right. I do a lot of things on impulse like that. I guess if you want a reason, it was probably your eyes again. So why'd you accept?"

"Well, for starters you weren't looking at me like a piece of meat or fawning over an Avalanche member. It's refreshing to get asked out by someone who's not looking at me like that. Also, you showed me you're deeper than I thought. And like I said yesterday, running a business keeps me busy enough that I haven't had time to date for a while. It sounded like fun, so I gave you a chance."

"Well, th-"

"Bastard!" Reno and Tifa look up at the unexpected voice in time to see a woman throw her drink in Reno's face.

"Not again..." he groaned while reaching for his napkin. "Look, lady, I told you yesterday. I'm not that guy, I just look a little like him. You already got me fired, isn't that enough?" he asked with a grim expression while wiping her mixed drink from his face. Tifa wore a shocked expression.

"Enough?" the angry woman yelled as she threw her glass at Reno. He deflected it with his forearm, causing it to shatter harmlessly against his jacket. "My husband was in Sector Seven, you bastard!"

"And I was in Mideel, on vacation when the plate dropped. Thought I told you that yesterday. Geez, lady, you go around throwing stuff at every red-headed guy you see or something?" The restaurant manager hurried up and pulled the woman aside and they began talking back and forth rapidly in a hushed tone. "Well, that's one way to kill the mood. Just my damned luck..." he complained in a sardonic tone.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to get the mood back after she gets kicked out."

"Don't be too sure. She was pretty persuasive with my old boss."

The manager walked to the table. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Reno sighed, not enjoying having been right.

Tifa looked surprised and asked, "What? Why?"

"Because I don't serve assassins here." he answered, unknowingly echoing Tifa's words from the previous night. "I'm surprised you asked, Ms. Lockheart."

"People can change. You really think I'd go to lunch with an assassin?"

"Sorry, but this isn't negotiable. You can stay, but he has to go."

"Fine." Tifa declared angrily. "But I'm never eating here again." She then stood and walked out of the restaurant, followed by Reno.

"Sorry about that." he said with a downcast expression on his face.

"Hey, don't go acting like that was your fault."

"Wasn't it? If I hadn't killed her husband, she wouldn't've had any reason to get me fired or ruin my chance to date you."

"If you hadn't, someone else would have. You and your family would've died for nothing. And don't be so sure she ruined your chance. I decided to give you a fair chance, and that wasn't fair."

"You're too good to me."

"No, you're too hard on yourself. You alright? You didn't get cut, did you?"

"Nah, it's a thick jacket. Got some Tequila in my eyes, though. It's kinda starting to sting. Any chance you've got some eyedrops?"

"No, but we walked past a water fountain about a block away." she answered, noting that his eyes looked very red and irritated.

"Good enough." he pronounced before walking in the direction she'd pointed.

"I didn't have anything else planned before work today." she nonchalantly mentioned.

"I'm sure I could think of something to keep you occupied, if you really wanna spend the rest of the day hanging out with me." he said with a crooked grin.

"I'd like that." She then held the button on the water fountain for him while he used both hands to splash water into his eyes.

* * *

Author's Note: As always, thanks go to Noroi for betaing this. Thanks for all the great reviews Savvy Savie, seal-chan, WrexSoul, sylverskyz, shetan83, Shiankra, Soporific, ShadowChocobo, TheDonutMistress, JA-Japster, The Tiramisu Of Impending Doom, AniGirl 7, and Marilee. It's especially encouraging to see positive reviews from experienced ReTi writers.

A few of you mentioned Reno seeming a bit out of character. Hopefully this chapter explains why well enough. If Elena also seems a bit OOC, remember that she's spent the last four+ years hanging out with Reno. For those who didn't recognize it, Reno was playing Metal Gear Solid 3 at the beginning of the fic.

Hey, looks like I'm not the only Trigun fan here. shetan83, I was actually thinking more of Wolfwood towards the end of the series when I wrote that, since Wolfwood, like Reno, had plenty of actual blood on his hands to feel guilty about. Now that you mention it though, taking a beating like that was very Vash-like, so I see how it could be interpreted like that.

New note: Edited again because some site update deleted all the '--' lines I used to use to denote scene changes. So time to slap horizontal rulers into all my fics.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

* * *

After having spent a few minutes rinsing the Tequila out of his eyes, Reno straightened up from the water fountain and used his coat sleeve to quickly dry his face. "Hey, thanks for sticking up for me back there. I didn't really expect it to do any good, but it's a nice gesture." he said while pushing his damp bangs out of his face.

"It's nothing, I just tried to do what's right." Tifa humbly replied.

"You make it sound so easy. Heh, usually I don't get drinks thrown in my face unless I say something to piss off my date." he joked.

"Usually? You mean it's happened before?" she asked with a concerned expression on her face.

"Not exactly." he answered with a grin. "This one time me and Rude were hanging out in a bar and he was trying to pick up a chick. I didn't hear what he said to set her off, but I was standing right behind him and he ducked right when I turned to see what she was yelling about. Caught a Vodka Stinger right in the face." he said with a laugh.

"Ouch. Then what happened?"

"Well, her drink lived up to it's name, luckily she had some eyedrops. Making a long story short, she was real apologetic, forgot all about Rude, and ended up dating me for a while. And I won't let him forget. It's too funny to. I can't remember how many weeks dating her lasted, couldn't've been more than a month."

"Why so short?"

"Hold on, I just got an idea. We can talk while we're heading there." he said before walking down the sidewalk with her at his side.

"Where're we going?"

"Well, our date might've been ruined, but I did promise you lunch."

"Any place particular in mind?"

"Yeah, but it's a surprise." he said with a playful smile.

"How about my other question?"

"About why I didn't date that chick long? Well, you see, one of the first bits of advice Tseng gave me after I got promoted to the Turks was that love's an expensive luxury. Too expensive for Turks to afford. See, if I'd let myself fall in love back then, I'd've just ended up hurting us both. Her, cause she'd be in constant danger from the company, and me, cause I'd be giving the company one more thing to hold over my head. So I settled for the next best thing." he said with a sad smile.

"What d'you mean by that?"

He looked a bit uncomfortable with the question. "Well, you know... Casual dating and stuff. I sorta made myself a policy of breaking things off after a month, sooner if things started to get serious."

"So, that's how you earned that womanizing heartbreaker reputation. I think I understand why. Sounds lonely."

"Coulda been worse. At least I didn't try the hermit thing like Tseng did. He learned the advice he gave me the hard way, he used to be married before I became a Turk. He never told us exactly what happened to her, but he stayed away from the dating scene for the rest of his life. Poor Laney actually managed to pry him outta his shell a bit right before Sephiroth offed him. Heh, she had a real crush on him for a while there."

"Geez, no wonder she decked Cloud when she ran into us at Icecicle Inn."

"She's tough, she got over it." he said, his tone clearly implying that he'd expected nothing less. "It helped when she found out the truth about Tseng's death, and that his killer'd been taken down. Helped me an' Rude, too. Well, here's our first stop." he said while gesturing to a large chain store they had walked up to.

"You're taking me to eat at Valu-Mart?" she asked, surprised.

He was obviously trying not to laugh when he replied, "Yeah, they're handing out samples in the grocery section today. Cheapest date in the city." He laughed a bit and she joined in. "Nah, I just have to pick up something here. Wait right here, it'll be worth it. Trust me." he said with a playful gleam in his eyes.

"Alright, don't take too long." she replied, curious about the surprise he had planned. He dashed into the store and emerged a few minutes later carrying a single large opaque plastic bag. "What'd you get?"

In response, he placed the bag behind his back and grinned. "Hey, now, don't wanna go ruining the surprise." he teased as he began to walk down the sidewalk again.

"Not even a hint?"

"Hmmmm... Well, we won't need a reservation. There's never a crowd, so we won't have to wait to get seated."

"That's it?"

"Yep. What, you weren't expecting me to slip up and spoil it, were you? Heh, that wouldn't be any fun."

"Is it close?"

"You're that curious? Heh, don't worry, it's not far. I even know a shortcut." He then turned and headed into one of Junon's few public parks. They passed into a wooded area and he suddenly stopped when they entered a clearing. "Surprise!" he declared with a grin as he pulled a blanket from the bag and spread it on the grass. "Have a seat." he invited as he settled down n the blanket.

She sat next to him with a smile. "I can't remember how long it's been since I've been on a picnic. I probably haven't done this since I lived in Nibelheim." He then pulled two large sub sandwiches, two wine glasses, and a bottle of blackberry wine from the bag and poured them each a glass. He handed her a sub and the two ate in comfortable silence, enjoying one another's company and the peaceful setting. After both subs disappeared, he refilled their glasses. "So, what do you want to do next?"

"Nothing."

"What?" she asked, surprised.

He grinned lazily. "When's the last time you just relaxed and did nothing?" He laid back on the blanket. "C'mon, just sit back and forget our problems for a while." He reached up, hooked a hand over her shoulder, and gently pulled, urging her to join him. She acquiesced, leaning back onto his arm and pillowing her head on his shoulder. The pair relaxed in silence, lost in the moment as they watched fluffy clouds blow across the azure sky above and sipped their wine.

"Kinda looks like a chocobo." she observed, pointing at the cloud in question.

"Yeah." he agreed while splitting the remainder of the wine between their glasses. "It oughta look out for that dragon sneaking up on it." he stated, pointing at a cloud behind the one she'd spotted. She giggled at his observation. He glanced at her and noticed she was a little flushed. "Heh, you'd think a bartender could hold her drinks better." he teased.

"I'm not drunk." she denied.

"Really? Not even a little?" he asked with a grin. He was feeling the beginning of a mild buzz from the wine and was sure she was more intoxicated than he was.

"Nope." She took a large sip of her wine, as if to prove she could hold it.

"Heh, all right. Hey, moogles." He pointed at another cloud. They continued to point out interesting clouds and birds to one another, speaking softly as they finished the wine. After a time, he glanced down when she didn't respond to his latest comment and noticed that she had fallen asleep. "Heh, lightweight." he said, smiling fondly at her. Deciding to let her sleep it off, he set the alarm on his watch to prevent them from being late to work. He then relaxed and spent some time contemplating how lucky he was, until the combined intoxicating effects of wine and love pulled him into a blissful slumber.

* * *

He was awakened later by the vibration of his watch as it's silent alarm went off. After turning it off, he glanced to the side and noticed that she still slept, a peaceful smile on her face. He gently shook her shoulder and, on impulse, lowered his lips to her's as she began to awaken. After her eyes slowly opened he pulled back and asked, "Enjoy your nap, sleeping beauty?" with a gentle smile on his face. Still in the pleasant muzzy state of just awakening after a nice rest, she gave in to impulse and answered his question by pulling him down for another kiss. "I'll take that as a yes." he said, pulse pounding in rhythm with her's after they separated to breathe.

"How long was I out?" she asked, blushing slightly.

"Your bar opens in about an hour and a half."

She looked slightly disappointed by his answer. "That late already? I wish we could stay here longer, but we've gotta get going."

"Too bad."

"We'll have to do this again sometime." she invited him. They then climbed to their feet and set to work picking up the remains of their picnic.

* * *

Author's note: Thanks as always for betaing, Noroi. Thanks for all the kind reviews, Pandora The Vampire, TheDonutMistress, seal-chan, The Tiramisu Of Impending Doom, RenoOfShinRa, WrexSoul, CelticPhantom, kay.heartscry, Savvy Savie, Alexia Alexendra, D' DayDreamer, twilightxl, Sugihara, Night Sins, usagixtoki, Soporific, Flower Girl Aeris, Rubymuto, and DemonSurfer. Wow, I've never had that many reviews on a single chapter before. Getting a quantity of quality feedback like this's very encourageing. TheDonutMistress, I haven't done that yet, I'll probably try next time I play it. I once killed him with the revolver, though. In all the parts where you have to fight him, including the chase scene. I figured that Reno'd do a lot of oddball stuff like killing guards with forks and feeding people rotten food. Hey, another Trigun fan! Demonsurfer, I've got Rain on story alert(just like every other unfinished ReTi I've seen on this site), so I'll have a review for you not long after you get that second chapter up.

Short chapter this time around, I'll have to make up for it later. I still haven't decided where I want this to end yet, I've a few ideas, but some of them contradict others so I'll have to decide which make the cut.

New note: Edited again because some site update deleted all the '--' lines I used to use to denote scene changes. So time to slap horizontal rulers into all my fics.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

* * *

"Hey, I thought your bar's that way." Reno remarked as he walked close by Tifa's side down a sidewalk, passing the turn he'd expected her to take.

"Yeah, but I usually grab some dinner before heading to work."

"Hungry again already?"

She laughed at this suggestion. "No, it's for later. I have a small fridge and microwave behind the bar. We won't get off work until around one thirty in the morning, remember?"

"Oh yeah..." he remarked, having been distracted enough by her presence that he'd completely forgotten about needing to get something to eat on his dinner break at work. "Good thought. So, where're we getting our dinner tonight?"

"The closest place's a Choco King. We don't really have time for anywhere more out of the way." They walk the rest of the way in comfortable silence. After the serious personal discussions they'd shared earlier neither felt the need for small talk, so they simply enjoyed one another's company. After a quick jaunt into the Choco King, they emerged with a bag of fast food and two drinks.

"No matter how many long shifts I've worked in bars, carrying a cola to a bar still feels really damned weird." he commented with a lopsided grin as they walked back down the sidewalk.

"Hey, I can't go letting you get drunk on the clock." she laughed.

"Heh, yeah, that's pretty much what every other bar owner I've ever worked for's told me. Can't go having too much fun while I'm getting paid, I guess." he joked.

"If it's any consolation, I let my employees have a drink on the house after closing as long as it's nothing too expensive."

He grinned. "That's one way to keep people from cutting out of work early. So, you said, 'employees'... How many people'll I be working with?"

"Tonight it'll be just the two of us."

"Ooh, fun!" he exclaimed in an exaggerated hyper tone of voice, causing her to laugh.

"Heh, yeah, like I said the other day, I've been short-handed lately. My other one can only work part time, so she waits tables on Fridays and Saturdays."

"Geeze, sounds like you've been busy since you lost your other waiter."

"Yeah, it'll be great having another set of hands around the place. It's not that busy on weeknights, but it was still a pain doing everything myself. So, how many nights a week can you work?" she asked while fishing her keys out of her pocket.

"As many as you need, babe."

"That's all week if you're willing to." she stated while unlocking the door. "And don't call me babe."

"What's wrong with babe?"

"Years of getting called that by guys who were looking at me like a piece of meat." she replied while placing their dinners in the small refrigerator.

"Ah. I guess that means hot stuff, sexy mama, and toots're out of the question, huh?" he asked with a straight face and mischief sparkling in his eyes as he began to get down the chairs that had been stacked on tables the previous night.

An amused smile crossed her face as she replied, "Just call me by my name, alright?"

"Sure, Tifa. I was gonna come up with a nauseatingly cheesy pet name, but if that's how you want it, it's fine by me." he joked.

She laughed a bit at this. "Hey, when you finish over there, I have some paperwork you need to fill out."

He finished up with the chairs before walking over to the bar. "Alright, who'll I be today?" he mused as he pulled out his wallet and sorted through a small stack of fake IDs.

"Why not just use your real info?"

"You're alright with that, with having it on record that I've worked here?" he asked.

"Of course! What, are you expecting me to be ashamed to be with you or something?"

"I was thinking more of plausible deniability. I don't want to hurt your reputation or anything."

"That's just semantics. Use your real info." she instructed while setting out bowls of mixed nuts.

"Alright." He then pocketed his wallet and IDs and got to work filling out the papers while Tifa busied herself getting the bar ready to open. "Finished." he declared a few minutes later, then helped himself to a few nuts.

"Hey, don't pick out the cashews." Tifa scolded him, only half seriously.

He replied with his best imitation of a petulant child, "Awww, but those're the best type!" with a mock-pouting expression, complete with jutting lower lip, which caused her to burst out laughing.

"Oh, wow, that reminded me so much of looking after Marlene, it's almost freaky." she remarked with an amused smile.

"Heh, yeah, I heard that tone a lot around my little sis's kids." He then shifted back into the mock-petulant tone, "But uncle Reno, Mom lets us have ice cream before bed! Uncle Reno, we wanna ride the ferris wheel again! Why can't we stay up late, Uncle Reno?" he mimicked with a nostalgic smile and drew more laughter from Tifa.

She was still chuckling lightly as she looked over the forms he'd filled out. "Heh, sounds like you got stuck baby-sitting a lot."

"A few times, yeah. Luckily I could usually talk Rude or Laney into helping me, cause three to one odds are pretty rough." he said with a laugh.

"Rough? Heh, what a big tough Turk, having trouble dealing with kids." she teased with a grin.

"Hey, you try looking after three hyper kids at the same time, then tell me it's easy." he joked. He sighed and a sad smile appeared on his face. "Yeah, those were good times. We used to joke about how strange it was for professional killers to volunteer for babysitting, but doing work like that usually let us forget what we did for a living, at least for a little while." His thin smile faded and his gaze found it's way to the floor.

"Oh." She looked at him sympathetically. "I remember how long it took me to get over my parents' deaths. If you ever need to talk more about it, I'll be here."

"I'm fine, really." he claimed, looking up and forcing a brittle smile.

"I know it's not easy talking about that sort of thing, but it helps. I won't force you, but if you change your mind the offer's still open. Hey, could you go put up the open sign?" she asked, deciding to shift the subject to something more positive.

"No problem." he replied before walking over to the door and flipping the small plastic sign, then walking back to the bar. "Hey, um... thanks for the offer. So, how long's it usually till customers start showing up?"

"We usually have a slow trickle start ten or twenty minutes after opening."

"So, there anything you do to keep yourself amused while you wait?"

"When things get slow, I usually play a little solitaire." she told him, pulling a deck of cards from behind the bar.

"Yeah, solitaire's good, but I always had more fun with... two player games." he said with a lopsided grin while he began to shuffle the deck.

"Oh, really? Like what?" she asked, amused and wondering how far he'll take the double entrade.

His eyes sparkled as the cards arced between his hands in a flashy mid-air shuffle. "All sorts of things. You name the game and I can play it."

She laughed lightly. "A self-proclaimed expert, huh?" She decided to end their verbal game before it went farther than she would be comfortable with. "Hey, you ever work in a casino? You're pretty good at that." she mentioned as she watched him show off a variety of shuffling tricks.

"Nah, I just had a lot of time on my hands the past few years. When you're laying low, you've gotta find something to keep you busy or you'll go nuts from the boredom. So we spent a lotta time with card games, video games, drinking games, board games, sparring, watching movies and making fun of the really bad ones, reading, and picking up all sorts of mostly useless skills like this." he explained as he spread the deck across the bar and sent ripples racing down the length of it with a shift of his wrist before scooping the cards back up. "Basically anything to pass the time."

"Yeah, I guess you'd have plenty of time for hobbies. Learn any other new tricks?"

"Yep. Watch this." He leaned over the bar and grabbed three liquor bottles. He then took a step back, tossed one bottle up in the air, and began to easily juggle them. "Throw me another. C'mon, I won't break anything." She looked skeptical at this. "Alright, I'll pay for anything I break."

"Fine, I'll hold you to that." She then tossed another bottle, which he smoothly caught and spun through the air with the others.

"For a while I had this crazy half-baked idea about laying low by hiding in a traveling circus, but Rude and Laney shot that idea down." he joked. "Toss me another."

"You sure?"

"Go for it." he assured her with a confidant smirk. "Five, ladies and gentlemen!" he announced overdramatically as he caught it, drawing a laugh and light applause from Tifa.

Reno glanced over his shoulder when he heard the sound of the door opening and saw four elderly men walking into the bar. "Hey, she hired entertainment." one commented.

"We'll take the usual." another called to Tifa as they made their way to the nearest table.

"Guess it's time to get to work." Reno commented. He then caught all five bottles with a flourish and gave an exaggerated theatrical bow in Tifa's direction, smirking the whole time. By time he'd brought the bottles back to the bar, Tifa had already loaded a serving tray with a pitcher of beer, four mugs, and a deck of cards. He swiftly delivered the tray's contents to the customers, then returned to the bar.

"Those guys've been coming here every night since before I bought the place." Tifa informed him.

"Drinking their pensions, huh?"

"Pretty much, yeah." More customers began to trickle in, mostly working class people with a few retirees mixed in, making for a fairly quiet weekday night crowd. Focused on scanning the crowd to see when customers needed him, Reno was kept too busy to talk to Tifa other than giving her customer's orders to mix.

* * *

This went on for several hours, with both expertly performing the duties of their respective jobs before Tifa waved Reno over. "I'm going to go ahead and have my dinner, so I need you to watch the bar for a while. You know how to work the taps, right?"

"No problem, I've worked as a bartender before, so take your time." he told her as he slipped behind the bar.

"Great." she said as she retrieved her lunch from the fridge behind the bar and placed it in the microwave. "Hey, you seemed a little nervous out there. What's wrong?"

"Old habits die hard, I guess." he answered in a quiet voice to avoid being overheard. "I know I don't have to worry about getting fired over the past anymore, but I've still got this feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know, expecting someone to recognize me. Don't worry, it's nothing I haven't dealt with before. It'll be easier once I get used to the regulars here, start to get in a sorta routine."

"I wish there was something I could do to help." she said before taking a bite of her burger.

"Hey, you already did. Thanks to you, it's just a dumb old habit instead of a real fear." He then moved to the other end of the bar to mix a drink for a customer while she sat down behind the bar to rest while eating. He was kept busy for several minutes before he could make his way back to where Tifa was sitting. "Hey, is this crowd normal for a weeknight?" he asked, curious about what he could expect the next day.

"Yeah, pretty much." she barely had time to answer before he was called away by another customer.

"Going all night at this pace would get old pretty quick." he remarked during another lull. "I'm surprised you didn't hire someone sooner."

"I tried, just wasn't having much luck." She glanced at her watch, then stood up. "Alright, your turn."

"Yay." he said before retrieving his dinner and popping it in the microwave. He then quickly sat against the back of the bar, causing a loud thunk.

"What was that?" Tifa asked, curious about the odd noise.

"Another old habit." He pulled back the left side of his coat, revealing a collapsed electro mag rod holstered on the front of his belt. "I've carried this every day since getting promoted to... the last job you saw me in and this one," he said before pulling his jacket farther aside, showing the source of the thunk when he had leaned against the bar, a slim .45 automatic in a holster behind his left hip, "every day since I graduated from the Junon Military Academy and got my commission in Soldier." He released his jacket, covering the weapons. "It's been a couple years since I've needed to use either of them, but it's not like I'll be warned in advance if I'll need them again. Besides, to be honest, after all these years of carrying them it feels really weird not having a couple pounds of steel on me."

"I guess that makes sense." She started to ask another question, but was called away by another customer and had to set her question aside for later. "So, you said you were in Soldier?" she asked when she had a chance a few minutes later.

"Yeah, all four of us were. The first place we looked when we needed a new recruit was at officers in Soldier who had potential to make first class but weren't there yet." he answered, careful not to use the word 'Turk' where a customer could overhear. "I was a second class, ranked Captain when I got promoted." She was called away by a customer again. A few minutes later, he decided he'd been on break for about as long as she had and got back to work.

* * *

Several hours later, the customers began to drift out. Shortly afterwards, there were only a couple tables of customers remaining and a few sitting at the bar. "Fifteen minutes till closing!" Tifa announced, prompting all the customers seated at tables to wave for Reno's attention in order to get one more round in before closing.

After a few very hectic minutes of running last-minute orders and bussing tables, he leaned against an empty section of the bar and began counting his tips while using his peripheral vision to keep an eye on the customers in case any of them needed his attention again. By time he'd finished counting, most of the remaining customers had drifted out. "You've got me curious." Tifa announced from behind him when she'd seen that he'd finished. "Why wouldn't you recruit first class Soldiers?"

"Well," he said, turning to look at her, "the official reason was the advanced mako treatment given to first class Soldiers sometimes made them kinda little unstable and that made them... unsuitable for covert work. It wasn't until all the first class guys put on black cloaks and went AWOL during the Meteor crisis that we found out the real reason why the poor bastards went unstable. They never got another mako treatment, they got gene therapy to make them more like Sephiroth, then they got injected with Jenova cells and labeled 'clones'."

"Why would anyone want to make another Sephiroth?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, it sounds dumb to me too, but I guess the president thought it'd be a good idea. Heh, bet he regretted that when one of the clones put on one of Sephiroth's old uniforms and went on a killing spree in the office."

"There goes the last customer. Probably won't be anyone else tonight, so we might as well get to cleaning up." she said. He threw a mock salute, grabbed a broom, and began to sweep the bar. In a few short minutes, they had the place well cleaned. "You can go ahead and have a drink now. What'll it be?" she asked as she headed towards her normal spot behind the bar.

"Hold on, you've been working your ass off tonight. I'll get it myself and mix you something while I'm at it. So have a seat and tell me what you want." he invited.

"Alright." she took his invitation and settled on a barstool, then decided to challenge him. "Know how to make a Pousse-Cafe?"

He grinned as he stepped behind the bar. "Heh, wanna see what I can do, huh? Alright, here's the hardest version I know." He quickly surveyed the stocked liquors, then grabbed two narrow cocktail glasses and nine bottles. After carefully pouring a quarter ounce of Grenadine in each glass, he turned over a bar spoon, touched the tip to the inside of one of the glasses, then slowly and carefully poured the same amount of Crème de Almond down the spoon so that it didn't mix with the heavier red liquid.

He did the same for the other glass, then repeated the slow process with White Crème de Cacao, Green Crème de Menthe, Blue Curaçao, Amaretto di Saranno, Cherry brandy, Peppermint schnapps, and finally topped them off with Southern Comfort, ending up with two drinks that were striped due to the nine layers of different colored unmixed liquors floating on top of each other. Midway through the process, she stood up, turned the sign to closed, and locked the door, then returned to the bar.

"Wow, you really went all out." she commented, looking at the narrow bands of color in the glass he handed to her. "I was expecting a two or three layer drink, not one of these."

"I would've done a ten layer, but I couldn't find any whipped cream." he declared with a grin.

"Impressive, lots of people don't have steady enough hands to even make the easy versions." she complimented before sipping her drink.

"Hey, after going through demolition training, you either have real steady hands, or you aren't allowed to touch the C4 anymore." he joked. "It's still a pain to make, but you're worth the trouble." His cocky grin morphed into one of his rare sincere smiles as he said this. She smiled back and they gazed into one another's eyes across the bar as they finished their drinks, burgundy and aquamarine plunging deeply into one another.

After they took their time finishing the drinks, he quickly washed the glasses and spoon, then put them and the bottles back in their proper places. "So, how do you like working here?"

"Aside from being thoroughly tired of having people ask what happened to my face, it's not bad." he joked.

"Oh. What'd you tell them?"

"That I had too much to drink and woke up like this without any idea how it happened. Hey, can I walk you home again?" he asked as they stepped through the front door.

"I don't know, can you?" she asked with a mischievous expression. He replied by silently extending an arm to her and she accepted his invitation by twineing her arm through his. Although it was only a little over a block to her apartment complex, she appreciated the gesture and thoroughly enjoyed walking down the sidewalk arm in arm with him. A light cloud cover blocked out the stars, but the full moon was out and it's diffused light lent the night sky an ethereal, almost otherworldly air. "I would say 'call me', but we're going to be seeing each other in person pretty much every day, so you can just ask me in person next time you want to go out. See you tomorrow." she said after they came to a halt before the door to her apartment. "Goodnight, Reno." she said before leaning forward and kissing him. The kiss deepened until she finally had to pull back to breathe.

"Yeah, goodnight, Tifa." he called, slightly out of breath, as she unlocked her door and stepped inside. Once, years before, he would have been very disappointed to not be invited inside for 'coffee' after a first date, but he found that he didn't mind this time. He had a faint smile on his face and a distant look in his eyes as he walked home with his mind focused more on her than what he was doing, nearly causing him to trip several times.

* * *

Author's Note: As always, big thanks go to Noroi for kindly betaing this. Thanks for the great reviews DemonSurfer, Sugihara, emmson82, The Tiramisu Of Impending Doom, Alexia Alexendra, Teef LockHeart, Rubymuto, rjectkd89, seal-chan, Carnivore, WrexSoul, Soporific, Swamp-Eyes, Lucian's Angel87, icewolf9, BlackjackCF, and Raspberry Polar Bear. I'm glad to hear the picnic was so well recieved.

Tiramisu, clouds are kinda like ink blots, stare at them long enough and you could see almost anything. I actually saw an angry chocobo in one once when I was driving. I was tempted to have him point out something risqué, but figured that'd be going too far for a first date when he's trying to be careful.

Wrexsoul, that wasn't intentional, I was just using that to show how much time had passed since the previous chapter. It's nice to hear someone got a laugh out of it, though. Yes, that's my preferred method for filling in background, I've always found it more fun to write characters telling anecdotes instead of just narrating a flashback. I can usually work in more jokes that way, too.

Soporific, don't worry, I take being able to inspire immaturity like that as a compliment. The cloud thing must've been subconscious, I didn't intend that as making fun of Cloud's hair, but now that you point it out it kinda fits.

Swamp-Eyes, I prefer non-canon couples too. They're more challenging to write, which makes it much more fun to write than a canon couple where the game's already done half the work.

icewolf9, don't worry about not having a huge vocabulary, your enthusiastic reviews always bring a smile to my face. Hey, another MGS fan! Icewolf, DonutMistress, there any chance either of you has a PS2 network adapter and plans to pick up MGS:Subsistance when it comes out? If so, we'll have to get together online for a few rounds when it comes out.

Everyone, sorry for the delay. I had a really productive month there, so I figured it was just a matter of time before writer's block snuck up on me. The encouragement from all those reviews was a great help in getting over it. That's not my only reason for being so slow, though. I've been alternating between this and a Reno/Elena Rude/Tifa fic that's almost finished, so that slows me down a bit too. So if you're getting too impatient waiting for the next chapter, how about giving my other work a try? And please review, feedback really does encourage me to write faster.

New Note: Edited to fix a couple minor typos.

New note: Edited again because some site update deleted all the '--' lines I used to use to denote scene changes. So time to slap horizontal rulers into all my fics.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

* * *

After closing and locking her apartment door, Tifa walked into her living room and turned on her computer. While waiting for it to boot, she went into her kitchen and set out a carton of double fudge ice cream. She quickly scoped herself a small bowlful, topped it with chocolate syrup and a cherry, then returned to her living room, where her computer was ready. She then opened an oft-used program and typed, "You on, Yuffie?"

After a few minutes of waiting and enjoying her ice cream, she received a reply, "Yeah. Hey, Isn't it kinda the middle of the night in Junon?"

"Yeah, but something big happened and I need to talk to someone."

"Sounds important enough for a face-to-face. You still got that webcam?"

"Yeah." Tifa opened up another program. A moment later, an image of her distant best friend appeared on her monitor and smiled.

"You wouldn't be smiling like that if it was bad news." Yuffie said. "So, what's up?"

"Well... I met a guy."

"Finally! I don't think you've dated since Midgar."

"Well, I've been kinda busy running the bar..."

"All work and no play makes Teef a dull girl." Yuffie teased with a good-natured grin. "I guess your mystery guy's where you got the flower from?"

"Yeah." Tifa replied, reaching up and touching the flower in her hair.

"So, is he cute?"

"Very. Although you'll probably think I've gone crazy when I tell you who it is."

"Well, spill it! You can't keep me in suspense all night."

"Remember Reno? From Shin-Ra?"

"The red-headed asshole? Seriously?"

"Hey, he's not that bad."

"Not that bad? You used to talk about wanting to castrate him with a rusty knife, and now you say he's not that bad? What gives?"

"I was wrong about him."

"Maybe you oughta start from the beginning."

"Alright. Last night, he walked into my bar right before closing..."

* * *

Reno entered his house and was greeted by the sight of Rude and Elena seated on the couch, playing a video game. "Hey, he's finally back!" Elena announced excitedly when she saw him enter.

"Heh, looks like there's no point asking if it went well..." Rude observed with a wry smile.

"Yeah, it's been a long time since I've seen him with a goofy looking grin like that."

"Don't tell me, you two waited up just so you could pester me when I got home?"

Elena replied, "Of course. You'd do the same to us."

Rude added, "And have, often. You really think we'd let you off without a debriefing?"

Reno laughed and plopped down on the couch next to his friends. "Not really, but I had to at least make you two work a little for it. Well, turns out I was right about her liking flowers from the Nibel mountains. So, she does the standard make the guy wait deal and comes out in this damned sexy red dress with one of the flowers I brought in her hair. I was all thinking like 'holy shit!', but being the charming badass I am, I played it cool."

"You mean you gawked at her, but managed not to drool." Rude corrected.

"No, I mean I played it cool. All Casanova-like and shit. Anyways, I asked where she wants to go and we started walking to this restaurant she liked. On the way, we got to talking on all sorts of stuff..."

* * *

"You beat him up?" Yuffie laughed for a moment. "How do you go from beating on a guy to dating him? Don't tell, me you two're into S&M or something?" she teased.

"No, it's nothing like that. But, he didn't even try to defend himself. He just stood there and took all the hits with this sad look on his face. I felt horrible for losing control like that and tried to apologize, but he kept insisting he deserved it because of Sector Seven."

"So, you found something you could agree on." Yuffie joked.

"But he didn't deserve it. See, I got him to explain why he did it..." Tifa went on to explain about Reno's family.

"That's horrible!"

"That's what I said. After that, I found out they died from Meteor and he never was able to bring himself to tell them what he really did in his job. He... kinda broke down after that. Oh, he tried not to. He must've spent almost five minutes fighting it before he started sobbing on my shoulder. It was heartbreaking to watch, Yuffs. He'd gone through hell for his family, lost them anyways, and almost no one understands him. And on top of that, almost everyone who knows who he is hates him and he blames himself for everything."

Yuffie replied with a rare somber expression. "Yeah, that is pretty sad. But, you're not going out with him because you feel sorry for him, are you?"

"No, of course not. It's true that I can't help but feel sorry for the guy after all he's been through, but that's not why I'm going out with him. That cool-guy facade he wears most of the time has a really loving and sensitive guy hiding behind it. And he's a lot of fun to be around when he's not depressed. But I'm getting ahead of myself. After he got ahold of himself, he got all embarrassed..."

* * *

"Wait," Rude asked, "the same woman who got you fired? What the hell?"

"Yeah, I'm starting to think I'm being stalked or something. Anyways, Tifa actually tried to stand up for me. Argued with the manager and everything. We got kicked out anyway, but it still... impressed me that she tried. Seriously. So while I'm washing the bitch's drink outa my eyes, I get an idea. Picnic in the park. But I didn't tell her till we got there. Naturally, she liked it. We talked some more, then laid back and relaxed, just watching clouds and stuff. I guess she'd had too much to drink, cause she kinda dozed off on me."

Elena smirked. "Wow, you bored your date to sleep. Way to go." she teased.

"Heh, hey now, it wasn't like that. I decide to be a nice guy and let her rest, so I took a little nap too. We snoozed away the afternoon, then headed into work. It was kinda like any other waiter job, except for the damned nice perk of getting to talk with her when we weren't busy."

* * *

"I can't believe you got kicked out like that." Yuffie remarked. "What a bitch."

"Yeah, and he didn't act like he was the least bit surprised. I kinda got the impression this had happened to him before. He may not've been surprised, but he was pretty upset, although he tried to hide it. He thought that was his fault, too. He said he had another idea and that he still owed me lunch, so he ended up surprising me with a picnic in Junon Park."

"Sounds like fun."

"It was. But... I guess I had too much wine, because one moment we were watching clouds drift by and the next thing I know, he was kissing me awake."

Yuffie grinned. "Awww! How cute!"

"See, I told you he wasn't so bad." She laughed a bit. "And it was the best wake-up call I've ever had." Yuffie giggled at this remark. "We went into work after that, and he's really working out great as my new waiter. We talked a little more during work and he was pretty open, answering anything I asked. I locked up, he walked me home again, I kissed him good night, and here I am."

"Sounds like you've found yourself a keeper, Teef. You better hold onto this one."

"Yeah, I think you could be right. But I'm worried about him. He tries to act all cool and suave, but I've seen under that. He seems really... fragile, emotionally. The poor guy's carrying around a lot of guilt and regret for things he didn't really have any control over. Several times when we were talking we hit sensitive topics and he looked like he wanted to cry again, although he held back and tried to act like nothing was wrong. I want to help him, but I'm afraid I'll say the wrong thing and end up hurting him."

"I'm not really sure what you can do other than be there for him and be patient."

"Yeah, I guess so. Just wish I could think of something to actually do."

"Hey, don't underestimate the little things. Just being there and letting him know you understand should help."

"True. Hey, thanks for listening. So, what've you been up to?"

"Same old. Nothing exciting's been happening around here. You know, I still haven't seen this new bar of yours. I oughta come visit, see for myself how cute the two of you look together."

"Alright, when do you plan to come over?"

"Hey, I can't tell you that. I'm a ninja, remember? I have to show up by surprise." Yuffie joked. "Seriously, though, I can't just go taking off any more. I need to make some arrangements first, so I'm not sure how soon I'll be able to drop by. I'll call you when I find out."

"Alright. Heh, it's sometimes hard to remember you're respectable nowadays." Tifa joked, drawing laughter from Yuffie.

* * *

"After we finished our drinks, she let me walk her home. She kissed me and went back into her apartment and that's it for my after-action report." Reno said, goofy grin back in full force.

Rude observed, "You've fallen pretty hard for her."

Elena added, "Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen you fall for someone that fast before."

"You think so?" Reno asked, looking thoughtful. "Heh, guess that's just like me, always wanting what I either can't have or don't deserve..."

"You're being too hard on yourself." Rude advised.

"Nah, just being honest with myself. She's really amazing, way too good for a killer like me."

"Geez, Reno, you're not that bad." Elena admonished him. "When're you going to stop beating yourself up over the past?"

"And how do I do that?" He heaved a sigh. "Still, may as well enjoy it while I can. When I'm around her, well... it's an amazing feeling."

Elena asked, "You really think she'd waste her time with someone who wasn't good enough for her? She obviously sees something in you she likes."

"Maybe, I dunno. It's late, I'll sleep on it."

* * *

When Tifa arrived at her bar the next evening she found Reno already there, leaning casually against the wall next to the door with both hands behind his back. "Hey, there, beautiful." he greeted her as she approached.

"Hey, handsome." she replied. "Been waiting long?"

"Nah, not too long." he said as he followed her inside. "Hey, I picked up a little something to brighten the place up." he declared as he pulled his hands out from behind his back, revealing two small flowerpots with the type of Nibel wildflowers Tifa liked growing in them.

"Oh, they're beautiful!" She exclaimed as she took them from him. "Thanks." She then cleared space on a shelf behind the bar to display them. "Yeah, they make it look better, more cheery."

"Glad you like 'em." he stated with a small but genuine smile as he stashed his dinner in the fridge.

"So, what's the occasion?"

"Nothing." he answered as he got to work preparing the bar to open. "Just felt like getting you something nice, is all."

"How sweet. I'm really lucky to have such a thoughtful boyfriend."

He looked surprised by this compliment. "Wha- you mean it?"

"Of course I do." she answered with a smile.

A wistful smile crossed his face. "Huh. Tifa, you really are amazing, you know that?"

"You keep saying that, but I don't see what the big deal is."

"And there's another reason. You blow my mind, than act like it's no big deal."

"Like what's no big deal?"

"Treating me like I've got clean hands, even though you know I don't." he answered, looking her directly in the eyes.

"There's nothing amazing about not holding you responsible for things you didn't have any control over." she said, placing one of her hands over his on the bar. "Besides, that's all in the past." Reno smiled faintly and looked like he was trying to think of something to say when the first customers of the evening arrived, prompting the couple to get to work. The first half of the night went much like the previous night, then Tifa waved Reno over for their break. "I went first yesterday, so you can go ahead and take your break."

"You sure you don't wanna do the 'ladies first' thing?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Thanks." he said before sitting behind the bar and retrieving the small brown paper bag that contained his dinner from the fridge. He then popped his dinner in the microwave while she was called away be a customer.

"What're you eating?" she asked during a lull a few minutes later, looking curiously at his meal.

"A pierogy. It's kinda like pie crust wrapped around meat and cheese. Good stuff."

"It smells good. Where'd you buy it?"

"Er... actually, I kinda made it."

"You cook?" Tifa asked, incredulity writ large upon her face.

He laughed a bit at her expression before replying, "Yeah, after we lost our old jobs in the Meteor crisis, we couldn't afford to eat out all the time anymore, so we all had to learn. None of us knew a thing about cooking, and we taught ourselves from books, which isn't exactly the best way to learn, so we kinda had some real shitty tasting meals and, heh, 'interesting' incidents before we all got the hang of it."

"You really don't seem the type, but I guess it makes sense that you'd have to anyway. So, what kind of 'interesting' incidents'? You've made me curious." she stated as he finished his pierogy.

"Well, there's the first time I tried to make pizza and I left the kitchen ceiling fan running on high." Reno says with a crooked grin while miming throwing a pizza crust into the air. "Hell of a mess, took me hours to clean it, even with Rude and Laney helping when they weren't too busy laughing. The stuff was all over the place, on the walls, in my hair, just about everywhere."

Tifa laughed lightly at the mental image she got from Reno's story. "That actually sounds like it'd be fun if it weren't for the fan."

"Yeah, it is." He replied after taking a sip from his can of ginger ale. "I can show you how, if you'd like."

"Yeah, I'd like that. Doing anything tomorrow?"

"Guess I am now. How's ten thirty at your place sound? I'll bring all the stuff we need. Plenty of time to finish and eat it for lunch."

"Sure. Never had a date that early though."

"Heh, me neither." he confessed while reaching into his lunch bag again.

"Hey, you make that too?" Tifa asked when she saw him bite into a brownie.

"Yeah. You know, back when I worked for Shin-Ra, I used to love Tuesdays, 'cause that's when they had brownies in the cafeteria. Heh, drove about everyone else nuts, being on a sugar rush almost all day from loading up on the things." He laughed for a moment. "I always did my best pranks on Tuesdays. So, you want one?"

"What, a brownie or a prank?" she asked with a sly smile.

"Well, I was talking about brownies, but if you want a prank..." he teased with a devilish smirk. Tifa was called away by a customer before she could respond and Reno finished his break while she was still busy. "Alright, your turn." he informed her as he walked over to her. "I left a brownie in the fridge for you."

"Thanks." she said as she headed over to the fridge while he took over her workload. She then popped her boxed dinner into the microwave and settled in, watching Reno mix drinks while she waited for her dinner.

* * *

"What've ya got there?" he asked a few minutes later. He mouth was full at the moment, so she answered by holding up the box. "Ah, low-fat chocobo lasagna. Personally, I can't stand that low-fat crap. Ruins the taste."

"Hey, it's not that bad." she said. "At least it's healthy."

"Healthy's overrated. I'll stick to tasty." he joked before moving off to mix more drinks. "Well?" he asked during a lull a few minutes later when he saw she'd finished her lasagna and was eating the brownie. She smiled, 'mmmm'ed around the bite of brownie in her mouth, and flashed a thumbs-up in his direction. "Heh, good. I- damn..." he complained as he was called away by another customer. Her break ended a few minutes later and they were kept busy until closing, when he had to escort the last few customers out the door.

* * *

"You didn't seem so... twitchy today. Feeling better?" Tifa asked after they quickly cleaned the bar.

He smiled ruefully and asked, "Am I that transparent?" as he mixed his after-work drink.

"Only after I figured out what to look for. It's not obvious at first."

"Ah. Well, the crowd today's about the same as yesterday's. If they didn't jump on me yesterday, they're not likely to anytime soon. Hopefully." he said before throwing back the rest of his drink.

"You don't need to worry anyway. I really wish you wouldn't flinch every time you meet someone new." She laid a hand on his shoulder. "I won't let anyone chase you out of here. Relax."

He smiled faintly and placed a hand over her's on his shoulder. "Would if I could, Tifa. Notoriety sucks. Least I can relax after they're gone." he said as he wrapped his free arm around her waist, pulled her close, and simply held her. She responded by curling her free arm around his shoulders and they held this pose for a few silent minutes before he spoke again, "As much as I'd like to stay here like this all night, it's getting late, oughta get you home."

"Yeah, guess so." she said, disappointed to end the moment, but needing sleep. She moved the flowers he'd bought to a window so they'd get sunlight during the day, then locked up. Reno once again offered his arm and, in what was quickly becoming a habit for the couple, they strolled quietly arm-in-arm down the short star-lit path between her bar and her apartment.

"You've got a mixer, right?" he asked when they stopped in front of her apartment door.

"Yeah, no need to go hauling one all the way over here."

"So, guess I'll see you in the morning." he stated as he leaned towards her.

"Yeah." she said before leaning into the remaining gap between the pair. A bit later, after pulling back for air, she said, "Goodnight, Reno," before turning to unlock her door.

"Goodnight, Tifa," he called, grinning goofily once again as he watched her retreating back.

* * *

Author's Note: As always, big thanks go to Noroi for kindly betaing this. Thanks also go to everyone who reviewed, even though ff dot net won't let me individually respond to them here anymore. Sorry for the wait, some parts of this were tricky to get how I wanted them. This should be the last chapter I improvise as I write it, I finally put together a story outline while my beta had this chapter. I still haven't decided how this fic'll end for sure, but I have events for probably another eight chapters layed out, although I could combine some of those plot points into less chapters or expand one or more points into more chapters.

New note: Edited again because some site update deleted all the '--' lines I used to use to denote scene changes. So time to slap horizontal rulers into all my fics.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

* * *

Tifa answered the knock on her door and was greeted by the welcome sight of Reno carrying a paper grocery bag in each arm and dressed in a pair of old faded jeans, battered old brown shoes, his leather bomber jacket, and a plain white t-shirt. "Hey there. You look good in that, but you might wanna change into something else. Making pizza can get kinda messy." he stated as an explanation of his casual attire while enjoying the sight of Tifa in a snug black dress that ended halfway to her knees.

"So that's why you wanted to do this at my place." she teased with a smile as she let him in.

"Hey, I'll help clean up. It's just that we won't have any roommates interrupting over here."

"Just giving you a hard time, Reno. Go ahead and set your stuff down in the kitchen and I'll go get changed. Get yourself a drink if you want." she instructed, pointing to a doorway in back before retreating through another doorway. He followed her directions and found himself in a small, but well-appointed kitchen with light walnut cabinets, white countertops and walls, and light brown tile that matched the cabinets. He set his bags down on the counter, then returned to Tifa's living room, where he tossed his jacket on one of her end tables and settled down on her couch to wait.

* * *

"Nice." he complimented when he saw her return to the room dressed in an old white halter-top and faded denim shorts. Both had stains from when she'd worn them while painting the interior of her bar.

"What, this old stuff?"

Reno shrugged and gave a nonchalant smile. "Hey, you'd look good whatever you're wearing."

"You flatterer." she teased.

"Well, alright, how about you'd look good in almost anything? Just as long as you don't dress up like a clown." he said as he stood.

"What, you don't like clowns?" she asked with a surprised expression.

"Nope, never did." He chuckled a moment before continuing, "Back when I was a kid, I was kinda... scared of them. Now I just plain don't like them."

Tifa smiled, obviously trying to hold back laughter. "You were scared of clowns? Wow, real Turk material."

"Hey, I was eight, alright? Don't tell me, nothing gave you nightmares when you were eight?"

"I'm sure something did, just nothing memorable like," she paused to giggle for a moment, "clowns. Sorry, I shouldn't laugh at this, but, why clowns?"

He shrugged as they walked back into the kitchen. "To be honest, I really can't remember why, just that they cost me a lotta sleep. And don't worry, I'm used to having everyone I tell about it laugh. Still don't see what's so funny about it..."

"Sorry."

"Hey, it's nothing. Let's get started." he said with a small smile while pulling a pair of cookbooks from one of the bags."

"Why two books?"

"One's got the dough recipe and the other's got the sauce one." he explained as he flipped through one. "Alright, we'll need a small bowl and some measuring cups n' spoons." he stated before beginning to unload the bags. She retrieved the requested items from her cabinets while he unloaded the bags, revealing a large flat metal pan with many small holes in it, a small bag of flour, a smaller, partially used bag of yeast sealed in a plastic bag, a small bag of sugar, two partially full bottles of wine, one red and one white, a bag of tomatoes, an onion, a garlic clove, small plastic jars containing basil, oregano, and tarragon, a small bottle of olive oil, small bags of grated parmesan and provolone cheese, a can of cut mushrooms, a green pepper, and an uncut length of pepperoni.

"Wow, looks like you're going all out." Tifa remarked while pulling a large stand mixer out from under one of her counters.

"Hey, if you're gonna roll your own, may as well make stuff you can't get delivered." he explained while pouring steaming hot water into the bowl. He then mixed a measured amount of yeast into it. "Alright, what's next?"

"Well, the yeast needs to stand for at least ten minutes," she read off from the recipe, "so I guess we could mix the other parts while we wait." She then reached over and set the timer on her stove.

"Sounds good." he said while leaning over to read over her shoulder while she measured out some water. Reno then measured out some white wine while she poured the water into the mixer, then added that as she pulled out a cutting board and a large chef's knife. She cut and peeled part of the garlic clove, then used the flat of the knife to pulverize the measured amount while he added tarragon and salt to the mixer. "Guess that's all we can do till the yeast's ready." he stated while she added the garlic. He then turned the other book to the sauce recipe he'd selected.

"That looks good." Tifa pronounced after reading over the recipe. She looked at the timer and said, "we should be able to mix that before the yeast finishes." She then pulled another bowl for the mixer and a blender from under her counter. He got to work cutting the stems off the tomatoes and tossing them in the blender while she switched bowls on the mixer and measured red wine, basil, oregano, tarragon, salt, and pepper into it. She then measured out and began mashing more garlic while he started the blender. He pulled down three bowls from the cabinet he'd seen her retrieve one from, then rinsed off the knife and cutting board after she'd finished with it and began cutting the pepper. Not having anything else to do, she watched, mildly surprised at how confidently he moved around her kitchen. "You're pretty good at this."

He grinned at the compliment. "Well, having to live off your own cooking's pretty strong incentive to get good at it." he jested, causing her to chuckle. She judged the tomatoes to be pureed enough, turned off the blender, poured it's contents into the mixer, then fitted it with a whisk and started it. As she watched the sauce mix, she once again reflected on how natural working together with Reno felt and found herself relaxing in his presence. After finishing the sauce, she placed the whisk in her sink and switched the mixer bowls back.

He had moved on to slicing the pepperoni when the timer started beeping, so she turned it off, then poured the yeast water into the mixer. Tifa then started the mixer on a slow speed with a dough hook in it, glanced at the recipe again, and then added most of the bag of flour. Reno had finished with the pepperoni and had a measuring cup filled with olive oil ready to add by time she'd finished adding flour. "Ah, hell, I forgot the wax paper." he realized.

"Don't worry, I've got some." she reassured him before pulling a roll from under her counter and tossing it to him.

"Thanks. We'll need another little bowl too." he said while spreading wax paper over a clear section of counter. She handed him a bowl and he placed it next to the wax paper, then filled it halfway with flour and sprinkled more flour lightly over the wax paper. He then picked up the onion and moved to the cutting board.

"Could you skip that topping?" Tifa requested.

"What, you don't like onions?"

"No, I never did like them."

"Okay, now that's weird." he teased with an impish grin as he put the onion back down.

"What's weird about having good taste?" she retorted with a straight face and laughter sparkling in her eyes as he set the oven to pre-heat.

"Nothing, just expected you to have more, is all." He gave a short laugh and a self-depreciating smile. "Still, guess I oughta be grateful you don't have more, or you probably wouldn't be dating a fugitive killer when you could have any guy in the city..."

"Maybe I could," she said, turning serious as she placed an arm around his shoulders, "but the one I chose makes me happy. Too many people judge you by your reputation as it is, you shouldn't do the same."

"Heh, you never cease to amaze me..." Both are silent for a few moments before they hear the tone of the mixer change. They glanced over and saw that the dough had formed into a ball and was stuck to the dough hook. "Alright, time for the messy part." he announced with a smile as he shut off the mixer. He then dipped his hands into the bowl of flour and covered them with a thin coating of flour before pulling the dough ball out of the mixer.

"Keeps the dough from sticking to your hands, right?" Tifa asked as she dipped her hands in the flour.

"Yep. Nice guess." Reno replied as he set the dough ball down in the center of the section of counter covered in wax paper.

"I've used the same trick for handling pie dough." she explained.

"Mmm, pie. We'll have to make some of that together someday."

"I'd like that, it sounds fun."

"Great. Now we've gotta flatten this out enough we can toss it."

"I've got a rolling pin we can use." she offered.

"Nah, using your hands's more fun. Just use the heels of your palms to flatten it out."

"Like this?" she asked before stepping in front of the dough ball and starting to flatten the pliable dough with her palms.

"Exactly." he said as he stepped behind her. He then reached around to either side of her and began to help spread the dough, although he actually spent more time rubbing his flour-slicked hands over the backs of her's than he did working the dough. Tifa didn't complain. Rather, she leaned back against his chest and enjoyed the sensations of his slick hands caressing hers as the clay-like dough moved under them while she stood enwrapped in his arms. Reno then rested his head on her shoulder and nuzzled the side of his face against her's, reminding Tifa strongly of the way a housecat will rub up against a person it likes. She relaxed, feeling very much that she was about to melt against him as he gently nibbled on her earlobe for a time before planting a trail of soft kisses across her cheek.

This continued for several minutes, until he said, "Alright, that's big enough." He then re-floured his hands and she followed suit. "I'll take the edges and you can take the center." he said while sliding his hands under the small dough disc. "Once we get it up over our heads, start spinning it clockwise." When they tossed the disc above their heads, loose flour was flung off the bottom and rained down on the pair for a few seconds, like light snow. The dough disc spread under the centripetal forces, and after several tosses he said, "We've tossed it enough, time to set it down." and the flour-dusted couple set the crust on the pizza pan he'd brought over.

"Why's there so many holes in the pan?" she asked as she picked up the bowl of sauce and began pouring it on the crust.

"Makes the crust crispy." he replied while opening the cheese bags. After she spread the sauce around with a large plastic spoon, they each took a bag of cheese and sprinkled the different types over the sauce in a thick layer. They then placed the thinly sliced toppings on it, creating a large even layer of meat and vegetables. This was followed by another layer of cheese and more toppings.

"Hey, I just remembered I have a jar of olives in the fridge."

"Yuck, I'll pass on those." he declared while making an exaggerated disgusted face.

"What, you don't like olives? But I saw you drink a Martini yesterday."

"Yeah, but I didn't eat the olive. They're okay in Martinis and as oil in food, but eating them's just nasty."

"Huh, and I thought liking onions was weird..." she teased, then placed the tray in the oven while he leaned over and set the timer. She then glanced around the kitchen. "You weren't kidding about it being messy."

"Makes it more fun." he replied with a smile before laying his hands on her shoulders and lightly running them down to her hands, leaving trails of flour down her arms.

"If that's how you want to play it..." She smiled slyly before twirling out of his grasp to the counter, where she picked up the bag of flour and tossed a handful at him.

"Hey, now!" he laughed while making a token attempt to dodge. He made a show of dusting flour off his shirt while grinning. "Now, I'm gonna hafta get you back for that, you know." He raised his hands into a relaxed open-handed fighting stance and, still grinning and laughing lightly, feinted to the left and right before charging straight forward in an obvious attempt at a tackle. Laughing, she turned slightly and used his momentum to throw him towards the open doorway to her living room. Not fighting the throw, he opted to instead grab her by the shoulders and take her with him on his short flight.

He landed on his back on the soft white living room carpet and she landed on him in such a way that she ended up straddling his abdomen with a knee planted on the inside of each of his biceps, effectively pinning him down. The bag of flour was torn apart in the midst of the brief scuffle, showering the pair and sending a light dusting over both rooms. "Now look at the mess you've made." she teased the prone redhead with an amused expression on her face.

"Well, I do tend to misbehave." he said with a mischievous smile. "Guess you'll hafta think of a... suitable punishment." While speaking, he bent his wrists and elbows, bringing his fingers up, but was disappointed to discover he could bring his fingertips no closer than an inch from the soles of her feet in his current position. "Hm, guess I can't tickle my way out of this..."

She looked back and smirked. "And you came so close, too." She then smiled triumphantly at him. "Looks like I win."

"Yeah." He smiled back. "I suppose that means it's time for the winner to claim her prize."

She leaned forward and brushed flour and hair that had come loose from his ponytail from his face. "Really? So, what'd I win?" she asked before softly caressing the side of his face with her right hand.

"I dunno, what d'ya want?" he asked, trying to act nonchalant. She leaned further forward, causing her deep brunette hair to fall like a curtain around their faces. While doing so, she brushed her other hand across the side of his neck, where the feel of his pounding pulse under her fingers told her that he was quite a bit more excited than he was acting.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll think of something." she said before lowering her lips to his. He raised his head, intent on increasing the pressure, but she pulled back in time with him, keeping the contact teasingly light. She held this pose as long as she could bear, allowing the anticipation to increase while her awareness of the room around her contracted until she sensed nothing except the redhead beneath her and her own racing pulse, which was pounding almost in time with his. She then pressed down and parted her lips, sending her tongue forth and allowing his in. He managed to slip his left arm loose sometime later and put it to use alternately caressing her back and her right leg.

* * *

Neither knew how much time had passed when a loud beeping pulled them back to reality. Annoyed, Tifa looked up, intending to turn off whatever was beeping and get back to what she'd been doing, when she realized what the source was. Reno smirked wryly and remarked, "I shoulda used a slower cooking recipe. Shame to break the mood so soon."

She chuckled softly as she stood. "Yeah, guess you'll have to keep that in mind next time." she stated as she walked into the kitchen to check the pizza. He stood a moment later and followed, still a bit out of breath.

"It's ready." she announced, pulling a well-browned pizza from her oven and setting it on the burners before closing the door and shutting the oven off. She then turned and directed an amused smile at him.

"What?" he asked.

"That's an... interesting expression you've got there." she remarked, still smiling at the sight of his seldom-used goofy-looking love struck grin.

"Heh, well it's your fault for kissing me like that." he joked as he began cutting the pizza with the chef's knife. "Not that I'm complaining or anything. So, how about lunch with a movie?" he asked while pointing at Tifa's entertainment center.

"Sure. Anything you want to see?" she asked while pulling a pair of plates down from a shelf.

"Nah, I already picked the menu, you pick one."

"Fair enough." she stated before taking two cans of cola from her refrigerator and setting them and the plates down on her coffee table, then she walked over to her entertainment center to pick out a movie. He finished cutting the pizza shortly afterwards and set it on the coffee table before stretching out on Tifa's very comfortable white leather couch. After looking over her collection for a few moments, she picked one up and turned around. "How abou- Hey, get your shoes off my couch!" she scolded him.

"Sorry." He gave her a sheepish look while kicking his shoes off, then put his feet back up on the couch.

"Anyways, how about this?" she asked, holding up a DVD case with a picture of a hand holding a large yellow cup with six armored men and a castle in it.

He shrugged. "Dunno, never seen it."

"Really?" she asked, looking surprised. "Aw, you poor thing, you've really been deprived." she announced in a half-joking tone of voice while smiling at him. "Guess I'll have to do something about that." She then turned on her TV and placed the selected disc in her DVD player before walking over to her couch. She paused there for a moment, considering ordering Reno to scoot over, before opting to simply sit on the reclining ex-Turk's lap.

Tifa pressed 'play' on the DVD player's remote, then both helped themselves to a plate of pizza. "Make sure to read the opening credits, they're funny." she advised before biting into her slice of pizza. "Mmm, definitely better than the delivery places around here.

"What's the deal with the subtitles?" he asked.

"You'll see."

"A holiday where?" he asked, reading the subtitles that no longer matched the credits. "Heh, what's with all the moose stuff?" he laughed. He was grinning when the screen started flashing and yet another revision of the credits started, this time featuring llamas. "I think I'm going to like this."

"I knew it." she said as the opening scene started, showing a skipping man in armor who was wearing a crown, followed by a man who was wearing a massive backpack and using two coconut halves to make a noise like galloping hooves. The pair begin laughing when the dialogue starts, and continue to do so for most of the movie, which severely slowed their progress on devouring the pizza. "Wow, I'm almost full and I haven't even finished my second slice." Tifa stated as the hapless knights in the movie approached a cave.

"Yeah, double-decker deep-dish'll do that to ya." he replied, having already finished his second slice and having decided that he wouldn't have room for a third. After a few more bites, she decided she was finished as well and set her plate down on the coffee table, then leaned back against him to enjoy the remainder of the movie. "Heh, that was nuts." he said after the movie finished. "Nice pick, can't believe I haven't seen that before. Hey mind if I borrow it? Rude and Laney need to see that."

"Sure. I probably should've picked something shorter, though. We need to head to work in a few minutes and this place's still a mess."

"What? I thought we still had two hours."

"We open earlier on Friday and Saturday."

"Hm. Well, guess I'll have to come back and help you with it later."

"I'll hold you to that." she said as she sat up. "I need to go change into something more professional. There's plastic bags under the counter. Go ahead and bag up some pizza for dinner and put the rest in the fridge. Grab a couple drinks while you're at it, any of the types in there're fine with me. If you've got time, fill the sink so the things we used can soak while we're gone, it'll make cleaning faster later."

"I'm on it." he promised as she stood and headed towards her bedroom.

* * *

As always, big thanks go out to Noroi for kindly betaing this and to all who review. You're all great. I'm extremely sorry for the long delay on this chapter. Some real-life dramas occurred that basically left me in a mood where I couldn't effectively write happy stuff until a few days ago. But I'm back now, and so's the fluff. For those who didn't recognize it, they watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Sorry again for the delay. Enjoy, and please review.

New note: Edited again because some site update deleted all the '--' lines I used to use to denote scene changes. So time to slap horizontal rulers into all my fics.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

* * *

After arriving at the bar, Reno and Tifa immediately set to work getting it ready to open. "It'll get rowdy tonight," Tifa warned him. "We're close enough to Junon U and the military academy that we get a lot of students and cadets blowing off steam on the weekend. If you help me with kicking out anyone who gets out of hand and breaking up fights, I'll give you an extra two gil an hour on the weekend."

"Alright, I'll double as a bouncer. I could use the extra money."

"Great. You can knock people out if you have to, just try not to actually injure anyone. After all, I want them to come back here and spend more money after they sober up."

"Spoken like a true businesswoman," he joked with a grin.

She chuckled and was about to reply when a short blond woman in a Junon U sweatshirt and a miniskirt walked in the front door. "Reno, meet Nina."

"Hey," Reno called out with a wave.

"Hi," Nina replied. As she walked over to the bar to put away her lunch, she noted that both had a little of what looked like flour in their still slightly ruffled hair, as well as slightly bruised lips. She also saw that they were having a little trouble keeping their eyes off each other. And although Tifa had time to throw on a clean outfit, a simple, professional looking pantsuit, Reno's clothes were smeared with flour and very rumpled and he had a small bandage stuck to his forehead. "He's pretty cute," she remarked to Tifa in a low voice as she got to work. Deciding to confirm her suspicions, she asked, "Think I'd have any luck getting him to go have some coffee or something with me after work?"

"No, you wouldn't!" Tifa replied, quicker than she'd intended.

"Heh, thought so," she said with a grin. "He's already taken, isn't he? Nice catch, boss."

"We're that obvious?" Tifa asked with an amused smile.

"Well, you two do look like you just finished a rough make-out session. And you keep looking at each other like you want the shift to end so you can get back to it."

Tifa laughed lightly at the observations. "Yeah, you guessed right on both counts."

"You might wanna talk him into ditching the glowing contacts, though. Those went outta style last year, you know."

"Hey, I happen to like the way his eyes look. And at least he's not a slave to fashion," Tifa stated, deciding to leave to Reno the decision of letting his co-worker know he had real mako eyes or allowing her to believe otherwise. Nina rolled her eyes at this response and continued working.

Shortly afterward, customers began to pour into the bar. As Tifa predicted, it was loud and crowded, keeping all three busily rushing to fill orders. A few hours into the shift, the first fight started when two guys who apparently couldn't hold their beer stood up and began throwing punches at each other.

Being the closest to the brawl, Reno set his serving tray down on the nearest table and rushed up behind the closest fighter. Forming his hands into fists with the index fingers hanging down, supported by his thumbs, he reached over the man's shoulders and jabbed his fingertips down into the sensitive spots behind the collarbones, then pulled back while kicking the Achilles tendon of the man's rearmost foot, sending him falling over backwards. The other fighter threw a punch at Reno without missing a beat. Leaving his hands curled into mantis hooks, Reno responded by swaying slightly to the inside while simultaneously bringing one hand down on top of the incoming fist, curling the index finger around to dig into a sensitive spot on the underside of the wrist, and bringing the back of his other wrist up like a club into the underside of the man's bicep, causing his arm to buckle. Leaning the other way, Reno pulled with one hand while pushing with the other and struck the back of the man's right knee with his heel, causing the drunk to fall to his knees, trapped in a one-handed armbar.

"You oughta just save me the trouble and walk out," Reno advised the other drunk as he climbed to his feet. Not listening, the drunk threw a punch and Reno, smirking, parried by smashing the point of his bent wrist into a spot on the side of the drunk's forearm that caused a jolt of pain to run up his arm. While the drunk reeled back, Reno stepped in, dragging the other drunk behind him in a painful manner. He then kicked to the outside of one of the drunk's calves, disrupting his balance. Next, Reno jabbed his index finger down into the sensitive spot directly behind the top of the sternum while hooking his middle finger into the point behind a collarbone and pushed down while hooking a foot behind one of the drunk's ankles, sending him back to the floor. Not giving him time to recover, Reno roughly seized him by the front of his shirt, then quickly marched to the door, dragging the two struggling drunks behind him. After tossing them out the door, he turned to find most of the bar patrons staring at him, surprised that the skinny new waiter could easily manhandle two large drunks. Smirking at the surprised customers, he quickly got back to work.

* * *

Things ran smoothly for some time after that, until a customer seated at the bar drank enough to drown his survival instincts and attempted to grope Tifa. She sent his reaching hands out wide by landing bruising ridgehand strikes to the insides of his forearms, then leaned forward, reaching for his head. Distracted by the view down the front of her blouse, he was caught off-guard when she simultaneously struck him with a palm heel to the side of the jaw and a ridgehand to the back of the head, just above the neck. This knocked him unconscious, and he toppled backwards off his bar stool as Tifa resumed work as if nothing had happened. He lay there until the next time Reno passed by the bar. Reno set down his tray, gave Tifa the orders to fill, then slung the limp body over a shoulder and carried him to the door, where he was unceremoniously tossed to the sidewalk. He then returned to pick up his tray and continue his rounds.

* * *

"Hey, you alright?" Tifa asked the next time Reno came by the bar when she saw that he was walking oddly. "Why're you limping?"

Reno took a deep breath as he leaned against the bar. "I never thought I'd end up complaining about something like this, but those chicks can't keep their hands offa me," he explained while pointing a thumb at a table with six drunk female students seated around it. "I'm definitely gonna wear a cup to work on weekends from now on."

Tifa winced sympathetically. "You don't have to take that, you know. I kick people out if they even try to grope me."

He looked somewhat embarrassed when he replied, "I dunno. That one just caught me off guard, is all. No one else's managed to grab my jewels, and they are kinda spending a lot of gil."

"I don't care how much they're spending, they shouldn't be treating you like that," she insisted.

"I can handle it. I don't want you losing business cause of me,"

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you when you take another nutshot because you're too proud to ask for help."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," he insisted before taking the filled orders back to the table in question. Once he arrived there, he had to move fast in order to pass out drinks, collect payment, and fend off all the unwanted hands. Watching from behind the bar, Tifa became increasingly annoyed and struggled to hold back the growing urge to leap over the bar and handle the women at the table the same way she'd handled the drunk who'd tried to grope her. After finishing handing out drinks, Reno quickly backed away while waving his hands in a manner that clearly said 'no thanks', then returned to the bar, looking very tired, and handed a small stack of gil to Tifa. "Well, that makes the fourth time I've turned them down and they still haven't gotten the idea. I keep telling them I'm with you, but they keep ignoring me and trying to grab whatever they can."

"What, you're actually keeping track of how many times each of them ask you?" she asked as she placed the gil in the register.

"No, they kinda want me to come back to their dorm with them and... well, you know, they're all asking me out together..."

"Oh," Tifa said when she realized what he meant. "Wow, most guys wouldn't turn that down just to help clean a dirty apartment."

"Yeah, well, they'd probably all spit on me or something if they knew who I was, besides," he stated, then paused to flash a smile at Tifa before continuing, "you're more beautiful and sexy than all of them put together, even if we're just gonna be scrubbing dishes tonight."

"You flatterer," she said, smiling back. "Hey, it's late enough, go ahead and take your break. I'll tell Nina to take care of that table when you're off break."

"Thanks," he said with a grateful smile as he walked around the bar. "You're the best, Tifa." He then gave her a quick kiss on the lips before starting to settle down behind the bar. This prompted a short round of whistles and catcalls that were quickly silenced by glares from Tifa and Reno.

"Now you see why I like to stay behind the bar," she remarked to him as he removed a bag of leftover pizza from the fridge. She was kept too busy to talk further with him, so he ate quietly while relaxing, then watched the bar while she ate. After that, he went back to waiting tables while Nina took her break and was propositioned a fifth time before being able to turn the troublesome table over to Nina.

* * *

Things went fairly smoothly after that, aside from Reno occasionally having to carry a passed out drunk outside. "Hey, wait a minute," a man Reno was handing a drink to suddenly said in a loud voice. "I know who you are. I used to be an MP in the Shin-Ra building, and I sure as hell won't take a drink from the butcher of Sector Seven, Reno!" he shouted while standing and accusingly pointing a finger.

Silence fell over the bar when those words rang out and nearly every head turned to glare in Reno's direction. "Hold on, you're making a mistake here," he said, holding his hands out in a placating gesture as many of the bar's patrons stood and moved to surround him.

"You're the one making a mistake by being here, you damned murderer," a burly cadet announced. "We oughta all kick your ass, pay you back for everyone you killed."

"Hey, now, that how you treat all your alumni?" Reno asked, stalling for time while trying to figure a way out of the situation that didn't involve killing a large number of people.

"Just the dishonorable scumbag alumni," another cadet answered while cracking his knuckles.

Tifa loudly promised, "If any of you so much as touch him, I'll kick your ass so damn hard you'll be feeling it next month!" as she swiftly elbowed her way through the crowd. Having taken a moment to pull on her old fighting gloves before leaping over the counter, she now took up a fighting stance at Reno's side.

"Don't you know who this guy is?" one customer asked.

"Yes, I do. You forget who I am?" she replied with a glare. "I was there. I know him a hell of a lot better than any of you. He didn't have any choice in what he did in those days and he's a different man now, reformed. And I say he can stay here as long as he damn well pleases. If any of you can't handle that, get the hell out of my bar. If I hear any of you threaten or insult him again, I'm gonna start busting heads." She then punctuated her threat by tightening her fists, causing her knuckles to crack loudly. Spurred by her threats, the crowd dispersed, with a little less then half leaving the bar and the rest returning to their drinks.

"Thanks," Reno said with gratitude plain on his face as the two walked back to the counter. "You know, I think that's the first time I've ever heard you swear."

"Yeah, well, I do that sometimes when I get really worked up about something."

"Hey, um... sorry for chasing off so many customers."

"You didn't. I chased them off, so don't you go apologizing." That said, she gave him a quick reassuring hug before walking behind the counter, removing her gloves, and getting back to work. The rest of the shift went smoothly, although Reno could swear that he felt the customers' eyes boring into his back and Tifa did not like seeing him grow increasingly nervous and stressed-out looking as the night went on.

* * *

During a lull towards the end of the shift, Reno pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "My second one today," he explained to Tifa when she caught his eye. "I thought I'd be able to make it through the day with only one smoke but... I need this. Heh, and here I was thinking I could give it up in another week. Guess I won't be making my goal..."

"I understand," she told him, feeling sympathetic for all the stress he was feeling. Eventually, Tifa announced it was almost time to close and shortly afterward Reno hustled the last of the customers out the door and then breathed a sigh of relief. After a few minutes of quick cleaning, Reno sat on a barstool, then set his elbows on the counter and rested his face on his palms, looking very tired while Tifa filled out some paperwork behind the bar.

"You alright?" Nina asked from the stool next to him.

"You almost sound like you give a damn," he replied without changing his position.

"Hey, I trust the boss more than I trust the tabloids. If she says you're an alright guy, then you probably are. And I remember the press release and pardon that Midgar's President released after that story about you hit the papers. So, you okay?"

"Been better..."

Tifa said, "Maybe this'll cheer you up a little," as she handed him a paycheck, then handed another to Nina. "So, what do you want to drink?"

"Neat Scotch, make it a double," he answered.

"I'll take a Chocolate Martini," Nina requested. Tifa quickly made their drinks, then walked around the bar, coming to stand beside Reno as he threw back the last of his drink. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, letting his head rest against her shoulder. "I'll just leave you two alone, them," Nina stated before quickly finishing her drink and leaving the bar.

"You can't keep letting your past drag you down like this," Tifa told him gently. "And remember, you're not alone. You're not the only one here with blood on their hands, I understand guilt pretty well."

"Yeah, but you don't have that many kills, compared to me."

"I have enough. And I had to face them after killing them."

"What?"

"I don't usually tell people this, because they'd probably think I'm crazy. You'll be the fourth I've told. During the Meteor crisis, I fell into the Lifestream when it erupted in Mideel. When I was in there, I saw everyone I'd ever killed. And they were all screaming at me, asking 'Why?' and yelling out what they'd lost because of me." Reno shuddered slightly when he heard this, thinking of what he might see if he were to fall into the Lifestream. "The worst were the children who'd lived close enough to the reactor I helped destroy to get caught in the blast. I begged them to stop and they just got louder."

Tifa paused a moment before continuing, "Somehow, I managed to find Cloud and we escaped. There was a lot going on at the time, so I just pushed the experience to the back of my mind and tried to forget about it. After Meteor, I got the job helping rebuild Midgar and I tried to forget all my problems by burying myself in work. But that didn't keep the nightmares away. Even drinking myself to sleep couldn't keep them away, I'd wake up hung over and with echoes of the voices ringing in my head. So, when I was bumming, as you so elegantly put it, around after quitting my job, what I wanted to do with the rest of my life wasn't the only problem I thought about. What I eventually realized about guilt and regret is that there's no way to change the past, so it's pointless to torture myself about what I should've done. All I can do is learn from my mistakes, try to be a better person, and keep moving forward. And that's all you can do about the past too. Let go of it so you can move forward."

"Huh. You've definitely given me something to think on," he mused. "I'll bet it's easier said than done, though."

"I never said it'd be easy. It took me a long time to sort through all my problems and get to where I was emotionally stable again. It'll take time, but I'll help you get there too."

"Thanks," Reno said with a tentative smile. "But maybe I oughta get you home first. It's kinda late, or I guess early."

"Alright." After locking up, they once again walked arm-in-arm the short distance to her apartment, silently enjoying one another's company. After removing their jackets, they began to quietly work on the dishes, with Tifa drying and putting them away and Reno washing them and occasionally leaning over to steal a quick kiss. "All that's left's the flour we spilt," Tifa remarked before yawning. "You get this room and I'll do the other. There's a broom over there and washcloths in that drawer."

"Right," he replied with a yawn before getting to work. While he did that, she removed her vacuum cleaner from her closet and removed the flour from the carpet. Both of them began to yawn with increasing frequency as they worked. After cleaning her carpet, she used the hose attachment to clean the flour from her furniture, then turned to find him leaning against the doorway to the kitchen, apparently half asleep. An amused smile found it's way to her face at the sight of his head slowly dipping to his shoulder, then jerking back up before beginning to slowly droop again as he fought to stay awake.

"Hey, don't go falling asleep just yet," she joked as she walked up to him. "I doubt the floor'd be very comfortable."

He chuckled lightly as he straightened up a bit. "I dunno, I wasn't really paying much attention to the floor last time I was down there," he remarked, smiling at the memory of their make-out session earlier in the day.

She yawned again before stating, "If I sent you home now, you'd probably fall asleep in the hall outside or something. So, I'm going to let you crash here. You've got two choices. You can scrunch yourself up on my couch," she said, then paused to wave at her small couch before continuing, "or, if you promise to be a gentleman and not try anything, I'll let you share my bed."

"I'll behave," he promised. "Wouldn't wanna make you kick my ass again or something." He followed her into her bedroom and was happy to see that the bouquet he'd bought the other day was in a vase on top of a large dresser. The room also contained a walnut full-sized bed with sheets covered in abstract shapes in bold primary colors and an old, faded patchwork quilt. A small matching nightstand sat next to the bed and the room also held a large closet that had been left open. A pair of windows against another wall were covered by vertical blinds.

"I think I might have something you can wear," she stated sleepily as she walked to the dresser.

"Hey, I really doubt I'll fit in your clothes. And even if I could, I'm not gonna wear a nightgown," he joked as she rummaged through one of the bottom drawers.

"These'll fit you," she said as she tossed a pair of light blue sweatpants to him.

"There's no way these're yours," he stated with a skeptical expression as he held the pants up by the waistband. "Even Rude'd need to use the drawstring to keep these up."

"That's because they're from when I wore maternity sizes," she explained.

"Wait, you mean you've got a kid? Hey, I like kids, so when do I get to meet the little tyke?" he asked with a tired smile.

"You don't. I miss-carried."

"Oh," he said, smile fading away into a look of concern. "I... Sorry. It's... er, I'm not sure what to say..."

"It's alright, it happened years ago. Just another of the problems I thought about when I was bumming around."

"So you're alright, then?"

"Sorta. But it's late and we're both tired, so if you really want to know about it, you'll have to ask again in the morning. I'm going to go get changed now." She then walked to the bathroom, carrying a knee-length white nightgown. When she returned to the bedroom, she found Reno's clothes scattered haphazardly across the floor, his weapons laid neatly on her nightstand, and Reno himself laying on his right side, fast asleep in her bed, his unbound hair spread across her sheets.

Having fallen asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, he hadn't had time to pull the covers over himself, so Tifa found herself appreciating the view she was afforded of the former Turk's bare arms and torso. He was sleeping on the side of the bed farthest from the wall, so she was careful not to step on him as she climbed over his prone form.

Once that was accomplished, she faced another predicament. Although he had fallen asleep with his head on the edge of her pillow, since falling asleep he had pulled the other end down and was hugging it to his chest in a manner that reminded her of how a sleeping child would hold a stuffed animal. The scene before her brought a smile to her face and made her wish she had a camera. However, it was her only pillow, so she set to work trying to pry enough of it from his grasp to rest her head on without waking him. This task was complicated by the fact that it took both of her arms to move one of his and that whenever she let go of an arm it would curl back in, ending up back around the pillow.

After several tries, she changed tactics, pulling his right arm out straight and then laying on it to keep it away from the pillow. The arm began to curl back in once again, but since she was in the way it ended up wrapping around her back instead of the pillow. Smiling triumphantly at the small victory, she took hold of the sleeping redhead's other arm and gently pried it away from the pillow, then moved the pillow's end up to where she could use it. She then spread the sheet and quilt over the two of them as his left hand pulled in towards where the pillow used to be. Not finding anything to hold onto, his hand stretched back out and ended up wrapping around her waist while she reached over him to turn off the lamp that was sitting on the nightstand.

Tifa whispered, "Goodnight," before planting a light kiss on his lips and then resting her head on the pillow. Facing towards him as she relaxed on her left side, she draped her right arm over his waist and rested the other against his chest as she drifted into sleep.

* * *

Author's Note: As always, thanks go to Noroi for betaing this and to everyone who reviews. I really appreciate the encouragement.

New note: Edited again because some site update deleted all the '--' lines I used to use to denote scene changes. So time to slap horizontal rulers into all my fics.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

* * *

Late the next morning, Reno's eyes opened to a very welcome sight, Tifa's face right in front of his own. Having pulled each other closer during their sleep, they now had their foreheads resting against one another near the center of their shared pillow and their legs had become entwined sometime during the night. Smiling softly at the peaceful expression on her face, he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

* * *

Sometime later she awoke and, like him, was very pleased with the sight before her. /I wonder what he's dreaming about? Seems I hardly ever get to see him smiling like that/ she thought. Deciding to repay a favor from their first date, she shifted position slightly and kissed him. Being a light sleeper, the increasing pressure on his lips pulled him from a pleasant dream and into an equally pleasant reality.

"Morning, Tifa," he greeted her with a grin after she pulled her lips back. "Guess who's got a new favorite way to wake up?"

"So, you liked it as much as I did when you pulled that trick in the park, then?" she asked with a smile. "Well, let's see what we can find for breakfast."

"Hold on," he stated, pulling her back when she started to get up. His smile faded into a concerned look as he said, "Last night, you said you were sorta alright after your miscarriage. What's sorta alright mean?"

"It means there were complications," she explained with a weary expression. Looking into her eyes, he detected faint hints of sorrow. "I didn't pass all the fetal tissue and ended up with a nasty infection. I started bleeding real bad and was beginning to prolapse, so the doctors had to perform a partial hysterectomy."

"A what?" he asked, not familiar with the term.

"It means they cut out most of my womb."

"Shit," he breathed, eyes widening. "There wasn't... any other way?"

"Not at the hospital I was in. After Meteor, the only hospital left with the right equipment was in Junon and I was too far away to make it there in time. I've come to accept that I'll never be able to give birth, but I still feel a little pang sometimes when I talk about it or see happy families with kids. I know jealousy isn't very mature, but that's not really something I can help."

"Oh." He held her silently for a few moments before speaking again. "Ever think about adoption? There's still a lot of orphans around after Meteor and all the crazy shi- er... stuff that followed it. You could, you know, have a kid that way."

"I've thought of it a few times. I might do it someday."

"Hey, um... I'm kinda wondering now, why'd you keep the maternity pants?"

"It's hard to put in words, but having another life growing in me felt... really good. I kept some of the clothes as a sort of memento."

"Mind if I ask who the dad was?"

"Cloud."

"Choco-boy? You actually slept with that guy?" he asked in surprise.

"Once," she replied, slightly amused by the nickname. "The night before we flew to the northern crater to fight Sephiroth. It was my first time and he claimed it was his first too. That was one of the worst mistakes I've ever made."

"He was that bad at it, huh?" he joked, hoping to cheer her a little.

"In a way, but that's not what I meant." She took a deep breath before speaking again. "I don't normally talk about this with anyone. Things are getting pretty serious between us, aren't they?"

"Looks like it," he replied with a tentative smile. He then leaned towards her and softly kissed her before continuing, "and that's fine by me."

He was surprised when she responded by looking worried. "There's... something I have to tell you before this relationship gets any more serious. And you're not going to like it."

"Hey, after all I've done, I've got no right to judge anything you've done," he said while rubbing her back in an attempt to relax her. "Now, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

"No, you'll understand why I have to when you hear," she insisted. "You see..." She paused to take another deep breath.

"Take your time," he coaxed before planting another light kiss on her. "I'm not going anywhere, you've got as much time as you need."

They lay quietly together for several minutes with him rubbing her back and occasionally kissing her before she spoke again, "When... When I found out I was pregnant, I also found out I have herpes. Cloud lied to me about being a virgin."

"That's it? Don't tell me, you were expecting me to be scared off by a puny little virus?" he asked while directing a comforting smile at her.

"Well, that's what happened to almost every other boyfriend I've told. Usually they say they don't mind, then stand me up for a date and stop calling me."

"Buncha wusses," Reno declared. "Can't believe they didn't even have the balls to tell you to your face. Well, guess I got something going for me those losers didn't," he declared, looking her intently in the eyes. "This's always awkward to say at first, but I've fallen pretty damn hard for you. Look, Tifa, I love you. If catching harpies is the cost of staying with you, I'll pay it gladly."

"You mean it?" she asked with a hopeful expression.

"You're the one who's good at reading people. Hey, I'll prove it to you if I have to, and I don't have any condoms with me," he declared with a wink and a lopsided grin. "Hell, I'm too damned in love to care about catching anything."

"You really do mean it," she whispered, a smile growing on her face.

"Yeah. I'd've told you sooner, but I guess you could say I haven't had much luck with that sorta thing in the past. Kinda made me put it off."

"Been burnt a few times, I take it?"

"That's an understatement. Since becoming a Turk, every time I've fallen in love up till now, I've ended up just getting hurt. Guess I must be a masochist, cause every time, after I finished a week or so of extra heavy drinking, I'd start looking again. Heh, sometimes it seemed like I did it subconsciously."

"I know the feeling. My bad luck began with the Nibleheim incident and got worse when Cloud came back into the picture."

"Well, looks like our bad luck's finally come to an end. Least I hope it's done messing with us," he stated with a tentative smile

"I hope so. All that subconscious masochism gets old fast," she replied, returning his smile.

"Heh, just think, none'a this woulda happened if you hadn't kicked my ass the other day. Hey, who says violence doesn't solve anything?" They both laugh lightly at this, then lay silently for a few minutes, smiling at each other as they gaze into one another's eyes until a loud grumble from Reno's stomach breaks the silence. "Now, what's that you said about breakfast?"

"Yeah, I'm kinda hungry too. Not surprising, since it's past two in the afternoon," she pointed out while sitting up.

"So, what've ya got to eat around here?" he asked as he stood up.

"Well, I have some yogurt and granola, makes for a real healthy breakfast," she replied, then laughed at the look of mock-horror on Reno's face. "I also have some bacon and eggs, if you'd prefer that."

"Yeah, definitely the bacon and eggs," he hurriedly answered with an exaggerated relieved expression as they walked into the kitchen. "You know, you went and impressed me again," he stated as she started her coffee maker. "This time it's because of how strong you are. All that shit you went through, and you never gave a sign of it. I had no idea until you told me."

"You wouldn't say that if you saw me a couple years ago," she replied as she opened her refrigerator and began looking for breakfast. "I was a real mess."

"Maybe so, but you went and worked through it instead of sitting around feeling sorry for yourself like I've been doing."

"Sounds like you're finally ready to stop blaming yourself for Shin-Ra's crimes," she observed as she set a carton of eggs and a package of bacon on the counter.

"I want to, but... I'm not really sure how."

"Well, you've already taken the first step, admitting you need to change," she stated while setting a pair of cast-iron frying pans on top of her stove. "Now that you're done with denial, you can get to work moving on. And get to work cooking some of those eggs while you're at it," she requested.

"Sure, how do you take them?"

"I'll have two, over easy," she replied while pouring a measure of canola oil into the pan nearest him. She then turned on the burners under the pans. "Now, three things really helped me in dealing with my problems. The biggest one was having a good friend nearby to listen to me and lend a shoulder when I needed it. So you're going to have to open up more. Catharsis helps a lot, but you should at least talk about it."

"Yeah, well... I guess... You sure that's the best way?" he hesitantly asked.

"Is that really so hard for you?"

"Well, yeah, kinda," he answered, looking a bit embarrassed. "It only goes against years of training and practice of kinda... burying my emotions so they wouldn't get in the way of my work. I normally can't talk about that sorta thing, unless the pressure's just too much to hold back. Even thinking seriously about that's kinda hard for me, usually makes me wanna get wasted. So yeah, venting everything... I'm not really sure I can." he said in an unusually low voice.

"I'm sure you'll manage," she told him with a soft smile. "You'll just have to be patient and work through it slowly. I'm not expecting you to vent it all in one day, but when you're ready to talk, I'll be ready to listen. In the meantime, I think the pans are hot enough to start breakfast." She then placed several strips of bacon in her pan as he began cracking eggs, pouring the contents of five into his pan. "Another thing that helped was finding a goal, something to devote myself to that made me happy, which was running my business. The other thing was meditation. That helped me center myself, which made working through my problems and thinking about them easier."

"Hm, never learned how to do that."

"I can teach you, it's not that hard."

"Hey, thanks. For everything." After a few short minutes of cooking in silence, with her watching with a concerned expression as he appeared deep in thought, he flipped the eggs. They then placed the contents of the pans onto two plates and carried their breakfast and mugs of coffee into the living room, where they sat on her couch and silently began to eat.

After hurriedly eating, he set his plate down on the coffee table and began to stare into his mostly untouched mug of coffee, then sighed. "You know, one of the hardest things is knowing I dragged my friends down with me," he stated. As he began to talk, she set her plate and mug down on the table and gently wrapped her arms around him, offering silent support as she listened. "Neither of them were involved in the Sector Seven operation, hell, Laney wasn't even a Turk yet. But... their lives got ruined anyways, just because... well, because they're with me. I've told you before how close the three of us are. I... I love those two just the same as I love the family I was born with, so seeing either of them get hurt really tears me up. We might not be related by blood, but Rude's still my brother and Laney's still my sister."

He sighed again before continuing in an unsteady voice, "When we got to Junon, none of us were in very good shape, emotionally. I asked them if they hated me... because of what I'd caused. Asking that was one of the hardest things I'd ever done, but I had to know. They both convinced me they didn't blame me. But it still really hurts me bad every time one of them gets hurt because of my reputation."

"Like last month. Laney'd been seeing this guy and getting serious about him. So she told him about her past, cause the three of us'd rather find out if someone'll accept who we are before getting too attached. Hurts less that way, but it still hurt enough that she came home crying when he dumped her. Me and Rude comforted her the best we could, and I tried not to show how much it hurt to see her like that, cause that'd probably make it worse for her. Later that night, when I was laying in bed, trying to sleep, I... kinda ended up crying a bit, cause of the pain I'd caused her. That's how I react every time one of them ends up getting hurt because of my rep. Even now it hurts, thinking about it." Finished speaking, Reno sat silently with his head bowed, while Tifa continued to hold him.

"I bet your load feels a little lighter, now that you've opened up some more," Tifa encouraged him.

"Yeah, I kinda feel lighter, but I also feel like I've been picking at a half-healed wound."

"That'll fade, but the lightened feeling'll stay. But, you kinda look like you want to cry now. Why hold back, you'll feel better if you let it out."

"Tempting, but it's not that easy. Even when I'm alone, it's like there's something holding me back most of the time."

"That doesn't sound healthy. Still, I'm proud of you. You've made a lot of progress today."

"You mean it?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"Yeah. I know that wasn't easy for you," she answered, seeing the faint shimmer of unshed tears in his eyes. He then set down his mug and wrapped his arms around her, taking comfort from her presence. They sat like this for many minutes before he moved to kiss her. She responded in kind, and then they lost track of time, slowly and gently exploring one another's bodies with their hands as they kissed.

This went on for quite some time, until they were interrupted by the ringing of the phone, which they attempted to ignore. "Hello?" Tifa finally answered, picking it up after letting it ring a dozen times.

"Boss, where are you?" Nina's voice came from the other end of the line. "We're supposed to open in a half-hour, and I don't have a key."

"Sorry, I'm running late today," Tifa hurriedly apologized, surprised at how much time had passed. "I'll be there in a few minutes." She then hung up the phone. "We need to get moving," she instructed as they rushed to the bedroom.

"Damn, where'd the time go?" he remarked as he began to retrieve his discarded clothing from the previous night.

"I know, we didn't get much time today," she answered while pulling clean clothes from her dresser. "But the bar's closed tomorrow, and I don't have anything planned."

"Sounds fun. Hey, any chance there's time to grab a quick shower?"

"Sorry, we'll barely have time to grab something to eat." Shrugging, he turned to give her a measure of privacy and began to pull on his clothes and she followed his example, turning the other way. Within moments, they were in the kitchen, loading leftovers into plastic bags, then they were rushing out the door.

Nina cast an amused look at them when they arrived together, disheveled and running late. "Well, boss, I was gonna ask what took you so long, but that's pretty obvious now," Nina remarked with a smirk as Tifa unlocked the door.

"Hey, it wasn't anything like that," Tifa said as the trio rushed inside and got to work.

"Right," Nina said, looking skeptical. Reno grinned as he worked, amused by the situation. After quickly getting the bar ready for business, he and Tifa barely have time to eat a quick lunch before customers begin to arrive. The Saturday night crowd was smaller than usual, and a bit quieter. Apparently, word of the previous night's events had spread, as many customers stared at Reno. However, no fights began, as none of the customers wanted to have to fight a notorious ex-Turk who was backed up by a former Avalanche member. As a result, the evening passed quickly and uneventfully up until it was time for the trio to take their dinner breaks.

* * *

A couple hours after the last dinner break, a familiar blonde figure staggered in the door, apparently heavily intoxicated. "Get out, you're not welcome here," Tifa demanded in an angry voice as her one-time lover walked unsteadily up to the bar.

"Wha'r'ya talkin' 'bout?" Cloud slurred. "Ah heard a rumor you're here, so ah came ta have some fun, like in tha old days."

"You really expect me to let you back into my life, after what you did to me?" Tifa asked with cold fury in her eyes and her fists tightly clenched.

"Yeah, why not? Ah took ya first, so yer mine. So c'mon." he drunkenly urged her.

"Hey, choco-boy, didn't you hear her tell you to leave?" Reno asked in a cold voice as he approached from the side.

"The hell're you doin' here?" Cloud asked.

"This," Reno answered before landing a straight left palm heel strike to the tip of Cloud's jaw, driving him back a step. Although his Jenova injections made Cloud significantly stronger than Reno, he was currently very drunk, which placed him at a severe disadvantage and caused his return punch to be slow and clumsy. Reno turned slightly, allowing Cloud's punch to glance off his shoulder as he hooked his right foot behind Cloud's left, pulling it foreword before spinning around and sweeping Cloud's other foot from under him with his left foot while striking Cloud in the back of the head with his left elbow.

Cloud reached back to his sword after crashing to the floor, but stopped when he heard a familiar metallic clicking noise. Looking up, he found himself staring down the barrel of Reno's handgun. "Now, unless you want to find out what a round of .45 Super through the face feels like, you oughta let go of that sword," Reno calmly instructed. Reno opened his mouth to speak again, but was cut off when Tifa stepped forward and stomped down hard on Cloud's groin. As he curled up in a fetal position, she pulled her foot back and kicked him hard in the face, knocking him out. "I've been wanting to do that for years," Tifa stated with satisfaction obvious in her voice.

"Wow," Reno remarked as he holstered his handgun, "I'll have to make a point not to lie to you. Heh, guess I got off easy the other night."

"That's mainly because he still acts like he doesn't think he did anything wrong," Tifa replied. "That, and I really don't like being called an ex-girlfriend's name in bed. Repeatedly," she stated before kicking Cloud's limp body again.

"Damn, guess he really earned that," Reno said before bending down, grabbing one of cloud's boots, and dragging him to the door by it. He then roughly threw him out the door before returning to Tifa's side. "How you feeling, Tifa?"

"Great," she answered. "I decided a long time ago I'd do that if I ever saw him again, so I'm glad I got the chance. I just hope that kick made him sterile."

"We can only hope," Reno replied with a smirk before getting back to work. The remainder of the shift passed quietly, and before long the last customer had left and the bar was cleaned.

"See you two next week," Nina called out as she walked off while Tifa locked up the bar.

"Yeah, later," Reno replied as he and Tifa waved."

"Well, I've had a really good day today," Tifa remarked as she pocketed her keys and twined her arm through Reno's. "There's a 24-hour pharmacy a few blocks away. What do you say we make a little detour and visit their family planning aisle?"

"I'd say it sounds like a great way to cap off the week," he replied with a grin as they began to walk down the sidewalk. Suddenly, they turned at the sound of running feet approaching. Reno instinctively drew his electro-mag rod at the sight of steel gleaming in the night air and parried the oncoming sword.

"Thief!" Cloud drunkenly accused the redhead as he drew back for another swing. As he did so, Tifa attacked him from the side, jabbing her fingertips into a series of pressure points in his right shoulder that caused his arm to go numb. Turning to the new threat, Cloud slashed down with his other arm before identifying his target. Suddenly, his blood went cold at the sight of Tifa laying in the street, slashed open from shoulder to hip. "What've I done?" Cloud whispered, shock penetrating his drunken haze. Transfixed by the sight before him, he was oblivious to the fully-charged electro-mag rod that was being swung with two hands towards the back of his skull.

* * *

Author's Note: Yes, I know I'm evil for ending the chapter on a cliffhanger like this. Mua-ha-ha. Seriously, though, I'll try to get the next chapter out quickly so you're not left waiting too long to see what happens. As always, thanks go to Noroi for betaing this and to everyone who reviews for their encouragement. I've never seen any fanfics involving an STD, and only one involving fertility problems, so I decided to do something a bit different and see what would happen if I worked them in here.

Additional note: No, I don't hate Cloud. He's just very drunk and a bit jealous here, and drunk jealous people have this tendency of doing things they would never do while sober, causing them much regret later.

New note: Edited again because some site update deleted all the '--' lines I used to use to denote scene changes. So time to slap horizontal rulers into all my fics.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

* * *

Floating in darkness, Tifa faintly heard a voice, "...please wake up, I need you. I don't know what I'll do without you..."

The voice seemed familiar to her, yet was very scratchy, preventing her from recognizing it in her semi-conscious state. "...I'm sorry, I was too slow. Please, wake up..."

Her eyes opened, then immediately shut at the brightness as the voice continued, "...please. I love you, Tifa. I need you..."

She opened her eyes more slowly this time, allowing them to adjust to the brightness, and recognized her surroundings as a sterile white hospital room. She easily spotted the source of the voice, a familiar redhead who sat at her bedside, holding her right hand in both of his. She also saw a large number of flowers in the room. Due to his head being bowed low over her hand, he was unaware that she had regained consciousness and continued to speak in his oddly hoarse voice, "...please, Tifa, I love you, I need you to wake up..."

"Reno..." she called out in a voice that was faint from disuse.

His head immediately shot up at the sound and he was on her in an instant, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and raining kisses down on her. "You're awake! I was afraid I'd lost you," he said in a shaky voice between kisses. "I love you, Tifa. God, I'm glad you're back." She could feel hot tears of joy dripping onto her face as he continued gently kissing her.

"Hold on, what happened?" she asked. As Reno pulled back to answer, a bemused expression crossed her face at the sight of him. "I've been out for a while, haven't I?" she asked as she ran a hand over the thin and scraggly red beard that adorned Reno's face.

"Almost three weeks," he answered. "I've... kinda been too worried to shave. You really scared me there."

"Looks like you haven't been sleeping well, either," she observed, concerned at the sight of the large bags under his bloodshot eyes.

"You've been sleeping enough for both of us. I haven't slept much, 'cause I thought if you heard a familiar voice, it might help you wake up."

"You've been here talking the whole time?"

"Yeah, well, except for when they kicked me out to give you sponge baths or when I had to hit the restroom. Hey, I told you I wasn't gonna leave you."

"So what happened? The last thing I remember is attacking Cloud outside my bar."

"He cut you from here to here, down to the bone," he said, running a finger from his right shoulder to his left hip to illustrate his words. "You lost a lot of blood. You also got a concussion from hitting your head on the pavement when you fell. I knocked him out right after that, cracked his skull and put him in a coma, then bandaged you up the best I could, using my shirt and jacket. Nina heard the fight and ran back, and she used her phone to call an ambulance."

Reno continued after a moment, "So, we rode with you in the ambulance, and Nina let me use her phone to call Rude and Lena. They came down and sat with us in the waiting room, the three of them managed to keep me from freaking out too bad while you were in surgery. After you got stitched up, they put you in a recovery room and I've stuck with you as much as I could. Everyone else's been visiting at least once a day. And your friend Yuffie turned up after you'd been in here a couple days, she even paid to get you in this private room and covered your bills."

"Three weeks," Tifa stated with a look of faint amazement on her face while squeezing his hand, "and you've been here the whole time."

"Yeah, and I had plenty of time to think. You know, deep thoughts. Remember how you were telling me about how finding something to devote yourself to that made you happy helped you a lot? Well... heh, this was easier to say when you were out cold," he joked before pausing a moment to collect himself. "I realized, what... does the most to make me feel happy, at peace, is seeing you smile. Just being with you, I almost feel like my hands aren't so dirty. So, this sounds so corny, but I just want to be with you, make you happy."

"Are you saying-"

"Dinner time!" Elena interrupted, walking into the room with a bag from Choco-Burger. "I'm not leaving till you eat it all so... Hey, you're awake!" she exclaimed with a wide smile when she noticed Tifa sitting upright. "Hey, maybe you can get Mr. mopey here to eat. We've hardly been able to get him to eat anything while you were out, you can feel all his ribs and everything now," Elena announced, poking Reno in the ribs to illustrate her point.

"Hey, knock it off," Reno complained, pulling back from Elena's hand and right into Tifa's, which proceeded to poke him in the ribs from the other side. "Hey!"

"Geeze, you really need to eat something," Tifa stated with a concerned look on her face.

"In a minute," Reno answered.

"No, now," Elena insisted, poking him in the ribs again while shoving the bag in his face.

Following her lead, Tifa prodded him again from the other side. "Yeah, you're going to eat, even if we have to hold you down and shove that burger down your throat."

"Alright, alright! I'll eat," Reno conceded, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. He then took the bag, pulled a double choco burger from it and began slowly eating.

"So, how long've you been up?" Elena asked.

"Just a few minutes. Wow, I think that's the most cynical shirt I've ever seen," Tifa stated, pointing at the t-shirt Elena was wearing that had a drawing of a smiling woman and had the phrase 'Fantasize!' in a stylized font, then had below that, 'You're Less Likely to be Disappointed That Way,' in a smaller font, then had below that in an even smaller font, 'And You Won't Have to Fake It.'

"Oh, this? Yeah, I bought it after a pretty messy break-up a couple years ago. Who, me, bitter? Ah well, at least someone here's having luck on that front."

"I'm sure you'll find someone eventually. You know, I few weeks ago I would've wanted to know where I could get one of those shirts for myself."

"Heh, Really? Hey, you might want to call a nurse in if you haven't already. They can at least get rid of that bedpan and catheter, those can't be comfortable. And that feeding tube, that'd drive me nuts."

"Yeah, good idea." Tifa then shifted to one side and pulled the bedpan out from under herself, then sat it on the small table next to her bed. "Much better." She then pressed the call button for the nurse's station.

"Yes?" the nurse's voice came through the small speaker.

"I just woke up," Tifa announced. "How long until I can check out?"

"I'll be with you in a minute, Ms. Lockheart. We'll need to have a doctor look at you before you can check out, but I can take a few of those tubes out of you."

Meanwhile, Elena dialed a number into the phone in the room. "Hey, Yuffie, guess who just woke up? Yeah, just a few minutes ago!"

"Hey, like I was saying earlier," Reno began while crumpling up his burger wrapper, "Tifa, I love you, and I want to spend my life with you, make you happy. That's, if it's alright with you?"

"Did you just propose to her?" Elena asked with a surprised expression.

"Did who just what?" Yuffie asked from the other end of the phone line.

"I guess I did," Reno said with a hopeful expression. "I've been in love a couple times before, but never like this. So, you know, if you feel the same, well..."

"He did!" Elena excitedly shouted into the phone. "Reno just proposed to her!"

"Oh, wow! Well, how'd she answer?" Yuffie asked.

"She didn't yet. She's just sitting there looking all surprised. Okay, now she's grinning and she just grabbed him and started kissing him. I guess that's a yes? Heh, she just gave me a thumbs-up behind his back, that's definitely a yes."

"Heheh, I wish I could've seen that. I'll be down in a few minutes. I'll just let Nina know and see if she wants a ride first."

"Alright, see you then, boss," Elena said before hanging up. "Heh, can't wait to tell Rude when he gets off work."

"Why'd you just call her 'boss'?" Tifa asked.

"Because after you two got on the front page of the paper, I got recognized and fired. When Yuffs found out a few days after coming down here, she got me a job in security down at the Wutian embassy. Heh, it's nice being friends with the foreign minister. Oh, I didn't tell you that you were in the paper yet!" Elena said, then picked up a newspaper from a small table in the room and handed it to Tifa.

Looking at the paper, Tifa saw the headline 'Fallen Heroes' and several grainy black and white photos that she read in the caption had been taken by the security camera in the ATM across the street from her bar. The first picture showed Reno parrying Cloud's attack, the second showed Cloud cutting into Tifa, the third showed Reno hitting Cloud in the back of the head while Tifa lied at their feet, and the final picture showed a shirtless Reno kneeling in a pool of blood as he worked to stop Tifa's bleeding. "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said I lost a lot of blood."

"Yeah, I haven't been that scared since watching Meteor hit. I really thought I was going to lose you a couple times there."

"Looks like you saved my life."

"If I'd been a little faster, you wouldn't've been cut in the first place. Sorry about that."

"Don't blame yourself. I lost my head and committed too much to my attack, otherwise I would've avoided his counter. So, aside from trying to starve yourself, how've you been doing?"

"Not so good," he replied. "I was just about going nuts from worrying."

"Yeah, I've seen him depressed before, but never that bad," Elena added. "Half the time, when I came to visit, he was sitting there crying, so I had to step out and knock so he wouldn't get all embarrassed and freak out worse. And he was almost hysterical in the waiting room when you were in surgery."

"Laney, you think you could maybe not go around telling everyone that?" Reno asked, looking quite embarrassed.

"Sorry, but everyone's seen you, and it's not like anyone laughed at you or anything. Yuffie and Nina even said they thought it was sweet that you cared that much about her when we were talking about it over lunch the other day."

"Yeah, well, it's still embarrassing..."

"So, you three are friends, now?" Tifa asked, deciding it was time to change the subject.

"Yeah, we ended up hanging out a lot after visiting here, and they've even been helping keep Reno from starving himself. Heheh, Yuffie even threatened to have a security team from the embassy come up here with a funnel and force-feed him. And she killed two birds with one stone, since her Dad insists she has at least one guard with her when she's outside the embassy and I was looking for a job. So she can ditch the regular security by hanging out with me. Heh, never thought I'd be getting paid for going shopping. And what's taking that nurse so long?"

"Hey, look who's up!" Yuffie exclaimed with a grin as she walked into the room with Nina. "I was so worried when I came into town and heard you'd gotten put in the hospital," she said while hugging her injured friend.

"Glad you're back with us," Nina added before also hugging Tifa.

"Could you keep it down in here?" The nurse asked as she walked into the room. "Other patients are trying to sleep." She then shooed Reno out of his chair and pulled a privacy curtain around Tifa's bed. Reno quickly claimed another chair as the nurse got to work removing the catheter and feeding tube. "The doctors decided to keep you overnight for observation. One of them will look at you in the morning, then you can check out. It'll probably be another week or two before they can take the stitches out, though. If you need help walking to your bathroom, don't hesitate to call for help. You don't want to overdo it after being out so long." She then pulled back the curtain. "Now, I'm sure you're all excited that your friend's awake, but it's very late and there's a lot of sick patients trying to sleep, so you'll have to leave soon," she announced before leaving the room.

"Geeze, sounds like we're about to get kicked out," Nina remarked. "I guess... hey, look," she said, pointing at Reno, who had fallen asleep, slumped over in a chair.

"Not so loud," Tifa requested in a quiet voice. "He looks like he really needs the sleep."

"Don't worry," Elena stated. "He may usually sleep light, but he's hard to wake up when he exhausts himself like that."

"Yeah, he's really been wearing himself out trying to look after you," Yuffie added. "It's like every time I come here he's either exhausted or passed out. He'll be out like a rock for a few hours, then he'll wake up and freak out that no one's been watching you."

"It's like he thinks something's gonna happen to you if no one's watching you," Nina said.

"Heh, he even insists on having someone he trusts keep an eye on you if before he'll step out long enough to use the shower here. And even then he rushes," Elena told Tifa with a smile. "Poor guy would've ended up a patient here himself the way he was going."

"Wow, all that time..." Tifa remarked. "That chair looks awfully uncomfortable, though. I'm tempted to wake him up and ask him to share the bed, so he can at least be comfortable."

Elena pointed out, "You don't need to wake him up for that. He's not the only one here with Mako strength."

"You're sure that's no problem?" Tifa asked.

In response, Elena walked over to Reno and carefully picked him up. "Heh, you're heavier than you look. You owe me one for this," she said to the sleeping redhead, then chuckled lightly while carrying him over to Tifa, who slowly slid over and pulled her sheets aside. "Heheh, he's gonna be so surprised when he wakes up." She then set him down next to Tifa as the others in the room laughed a little at the thought of Reno's upcoming surprise.

"Thanks," Tifa said as she flipped the sheets over Reno. "I guess we'll both have to take it easy for a while after we get out of here. Hey, thanks for all the help while I've been out."

Yuffie smiled and said, "I wouldn't be much of a friend if I wasn't there when my friends needed me. Now, we probably oughta let you rest before that nurse comes back and kicks us out. You probably shouldn't be walking long distances like this, so I'll be back in the morning with a car. And some clean clothes in your size, since what you were wearing was pretty much ruined." She than bent down and hugged Tifa and whispered in her ear, "Did you tell him about your problems yet?"

"Yeah," Tifa whispered back. "He said it didn't scare him and he even offered to prove it by infecting himself then and there. He wouldn't have waited for me like this if he didn't mean it."

"I'm glad you finally got out of the bitter singles' club," Yuffie said in a normal volume as she stood back up. "I really hope you two're happy together."

"Yeah," Nina agreed as she hugged Tifa goodbye. "And you two look really cute together too."

"It's been really good for him, too," Elena added as she gave Tifa and the sleeping ex-Turk hugs. "I haven't seen him smile as much as he was before you got knocked out since we all lived in Kalm. And he's like a brother to me, so seeing him happy like that really makes me glad."

"Well, see you in the morning. I'll get the lights for you," Yuffie called as the trio walked out of the room.

"Bye and thanks again," Tifa called after them. After they left, she found herself smiling down on Reno's sleeping form. It suddenly struck her as funny that after all those years of futilely looking for love, she had stumbled onto it almost by accident. Chuckling softly, she laid down and snuggled up to Reno, careful not to put much pressure on her stitches.

* * *

Author's Note: As always, thanks go out to Noroi for kindly betaing and to everyone who reviews. Feedback is very appreciated and encouraging. Well, I think that might be my fastest update to this fic so far. I don't think I've ever seen anyone portray Reno with a beard before. I don't plan for him to keep it, it's just there as a symbol of how worried he's been. Elena's shirt is based on an actual shirt I saw once; I just added the last line to it.

New note: Edited again because some site update deleted all the '--' lines I used to use to denote scene changes. So time to slap horizontal rulers into all my fics.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

* * *

Reno woke with a start in the darkened hospital room and was surprised to find himself in bed and to see that Tifa was lying on her side beside him, gazing at him with a contented smile on her face. A relieved smile came to his face at the sight of her open burgundy eyes. "For a second there, I was afraid you waking up was just a dream. But... er... I don't remember um... how'd I get in bed?" he asked, relief turning into confusion on his face.

Tifa laughed lightly in amusement at his befuddlement before replying, "Elena carried you over here. You looked so uncomfortable slumped over in that chair. You really thought it was a dream?"

"Well, you waking up's kinda been a recurring dream lately. Then I'd wake up and find you're still out..."

"Really? Well, guess I'll have to prove you're awake," she said before leaning over and kissing him deeply. "There, now, you still think you're in a dream?"

"Well, I'm not usually the type to use over-used metaphors, but yeah, that kinda felt like one," he replied with a grin, drawing a chuckle from her. "Had dreams like that all the time before you got knocked out..."

"Well, maybe you'll have another now, because you need to rest more."

"Don't worry, I'm fine," he insisted.

"No, you need to catch up on your sleep. Don't worry, I'll still be here when you wake up. I've just been dozing off and on, so I'll probably still be awake when you wake back up."

"Hey, if you can't sleep, why not take advantage of it?" he asked before planting a light kiss on her lips.

"Later," she insisted, finding that it took quite a bit of willpower to pull back from his kiss. She then pulled his head down to her uninjured shoulder and began softly stroking the back of his head with one hand and rubbing his back with the other. "We'll have plenty of time for that later. Then we can pick up where Cloud interrupted us."

After thinking back for a moment, a grin came to his face. "Oh yeah... That guy's got the worst timing ever, you know?" His hands found the opening in the back of her hospital gown and began to massage her bare back as he stated, "I saw a rubber glove dispenser on the wall over there. There's this trick I know, where you can cut one open and make the best dental dam on the planet. Cause you leave the thumb right in the middle." His grin widened when he felt her pulse increase at his offer. "Why wait?"

"Stop tempting me, Reno. I said later. Wait till we're somewhere more private."

"Worried about a nurse walking in on us? Fair enough," he conceded. He then relaxed and simply enjoyed the sensation of lying wrapped around the woman he loved. They lay quietly together for some time before his breathing resumed the slow, even rhythm that told her that he had finally fallen back asleep. She spent the next several hours thinking and occasionally dozing off for short periods. Each time she awoke, she would smile down at the sleeping redhead that her arms were wrapped around and resume contemplating what their shared future might have in store for them. Eventually, she decided that it was a reasonable enough hour to check out and pressed the call button for the nurse.

"Can I help you?" the nurse on duty asked through the small speaker next to the button.

"I'm ready to start checking out now," Tifa replied.

"I'll let the doctors know. It could be a while before they get to you, though."

"Well, could you send breakfast up while I'm waiting?"

"Sure. I'll be up in a few minutes with a menu."

"Hold on, do you have French toast?" Tifa asked, wanting to circumvent the delay of waiting for a menu.

"Yes, we do."

"Alright, send up two of those and two cups of coffee."

"Yes, Ma'am, I'll call it in. It should be up in a few minutes."

"Thanks," Tifa replied. She then resumed thinking, alternating between serious plans for the future and fantasies about what might happen the next time Reno and herself have some real privacy. After nearly an hour and a half, breakfast finally arrived. The nurse delivering it turned the room's lights on, then cast a disapproving gaze on the couple sharing a bed. However, she didn't say anything, deciding that a celebrity who saved the planet could be granted a little leeway in hospital policy.

"Here's your breakfast, Ma'am," the nurse announced as she placed the two trays from the hospital cafeteria on a large wheeled tray and rolled it into place over the bed. "I brought you your medicine too," she stated, gesturing to a small plastic cup on one tray that had a pill in it. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

"Not unless there's some way you can get me out of here quicker."

"Sorry Ma'am, nothing I can do about that. A doctor should be along soon," the nurse stated apologetically before stepping out of the room. Tifa then pressed a button that raised the upper portion of the bed, lifting her and Reno into a sitting position. When this failed to awaken him, she held one of the styrofoam coffee cups under his nose and smiled at the small triumph when he began to stir.

"Ah, another fun wake-up call," he remarked before taking the cup and sipping the steaming black liquid. "Too bad it's hospital coffee, though," he joked, making an exaggerated disgusted face at the taste.

Tifa laughed lightly at his joke before responding, "At least they brought plenty of cream and sugar." She then picked up the pill and swallowed it with a small glass of water that was also on the tray.

"So, what've they got you on?" he casually asked while pouring a large amount of cream and sugar into his coffee.

"Nothing new. I've been on this for years, for my herpes. It makes the outbreaks less severe and happen less often. I guess I've been off it while I was out, cause I'm in the middle of a pretty bad one," she replied, watching carefully from habit to gauge his reaction.

"Does it hurt?" he asked, concern plain on his features.

"How do you think I know I'm having an outbreak?"

"Oh. Sorry, guess that was kinda a dumbass question..." he apologized.

"That's alright," she said, smiling softly. "Anyways, I've had enough outbreaks over the years that I've become pretty good at tuning out the pain and itching. You know, you've gone on a lot about how I've amazed you, but lately, you've really returned the favor."

"Well, hey, I'm in love," he replied nonchalantly. "I guess an amazing feeling like that's good for inspiring amazing stuff or something."

"I've had guys tell me they're in love with me and then, not five minutes later, call me damaged goods after finding out about the herpes, then just walk out of my life. I even had one jump back when I told him, like he was afraid he was going to catch it from touching my hand. Even the ones who wouldn't tell me to my face still treated me like damaged goods. Every guy I've ever told has... except you."

"Yeah, well, they were probably just faking being in love, trying to get some. But this's the real deal. Besides, you accepted me, shitty past and all, and that kinda... well, that really means a lot to me. You ain't damaged goods, you're the amazing woman I love more than anything. I know that sounds really damn cheesy, but... it's how I feel."

"And that's an amazing thing to hear. I'd gotten so cynical over the years that I thought I'd never have anyone say anything like that to me, or make me feel the way you do... You thought you were being cheesy, but I used to dream of someone saying... you know, making me feel like this, almost seems too good to be true... Not that I think it's not true or, er... Anyway, our breakfast's getting cold," she said, suddenly feeling a bit awkward.

"Cold hospital food can't taste much worse than hot," he joked, drawing a chuckle from her as they began eating. "Hey, I managed to stop smoking again," he announced after eating his first piece of toast.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that," she congratulated him, putting her fork down to give him a quick hug.

"Yeah, well, I didn't have much choice. Rude took my smokes when I tried to light up in the waiting room when you were in surgery. I didn't want to leave you long enough to get more and I'd have to step outside to burn one, so I kinda ended up just sitting here, going through withdrawal. Heh, definitely not a pretty sight. Think everyone wanted to put me in a coma for a while there..."

"Good thing that's over. Think you're eating fast enough?" she teased when she noticed he'd already finished eating when she was barely halfway through. "I'm surprised you didn't choke on that."

"Hey, now that the rest of my sense of taste's coming back, I don't wanna spend any more time tasting hospital food than I have to."

She chuckled a bit at his logic before resuming her meal. After finishing, she picked up the bedside phone and dialed the number for the Wutian embassy. "Yes, this is Tifa Lockheart. I need to talk to Minister Kisiragi." She then waited to be connected. "Hey, Yuffs. The nurse says it shouldn't be too long until a doctor comes by and I can check out. Alright, great, I'll see you in a bit," Tifa said before hanging up. "Hey, do you know how to get the sides down on this bed?" she asked Reno after he finished his breakfast. "I kinda have to use the bathroom."

"I dunno," he said after looking at one of the plastic guardrails. He then climbed out of the bed and looked at it from the other side. "Well, onto plan B," he announced before reaching over and gathering her up into his arms. He then took a few steps towards the bathroom and lowered her so she was standing on the cold tiles. "I'll be right out here, call if you need anything," he offered as she walked into the bathroom.

"Thanks," she replied before closing the door. Several minutes later, the sound of running water could be heard and she then re-appeared in the doorway with a concerned expression on her face. "Reno? This may sound weird, but I want to see how bad the damage is. But when I reach back to untie my gown, it feels like the stiches're getting pulled too much. So, um, could you help me with this?" she asked.

"A... alright," he replied, trying to keep calm in the face of the unexpected request. /C'mon, man, be professional. You've been in her position often enough, waking up after a mission gone bad, wanting to see how bad you'd been hurt. Besides, you won't be seeing much more than you saw when you were trying to stop her from bleeding to death, so save it for later/ he silently told himself as he followed her into the bathroom, then stood behind her at the mirror. He slowly untied the gown and helped her remove it, revealing a line of stitches that started at her left shoulder, ran across her left breast, and created an 'x' with the old scar Sephiroth had given her at Nibleheim before finally ending at the top of her right thigh.

"I didn't think it's be so... much..." she said, stunned at what she saw in the mirror.

"Hey, the stitches make it look worse than it really is," Reno reassured her. "And far as I'm concerned, you're still beautiful, Tifa, even with the stitches in." He then planted a line of light kisses up her neck to prove his words.

"Thanks, Reno. Could you help me get this back on?"

"Sure," he replied before helping her put the hospital gown back on and re-tying it for her. "Hey, I'm sure it'll heal up fine, nothing you need to worry about."

"I hope you're right. Hey, is this your toothbrush?"

"Yeah."

"Mind if I borrow it? My breath must be horrible after being out for so long."

He smirked at this. "Well, I wasn't going to say anything about the coma-breath, but now that you mention it, yeah, go ahead and borrow it."

"Heh, like your morning-breath's much better," she retorted with a smile before reaching for the toothbrush.

"I never claimed it was," he replied, still smirking. "So hand it over when you're done." After both had brushed their teeth, they walked back out to the bed. He then lifted her back into the bed and climbed back in beside her.

"So, have any nice dreams last night?" she asked him.

"Nice's kinda an understatement," he replied, looking her in the eyes. "It was you and me on a secluded beach."

"Sounds fun. What were we doing?"

"Oh, you know... Making out, then making love, but you probably don't want to hear the details till we're somewhere more private," he told her with a roguish grin.

"I'll be looking forward to it," she said with a seductive smile. "I wonder if there's any secluded beaches near Junon?"

"I'm sure we could find one. You really wanna act out my little fantasy?"

"Of course. It sounds like fun, and besides, I want you. The only things stopping me from taking what I want right now are my infection and the lack of privacy. And there's that look again. It looks cute on you," she observed after her words brought a goofy grin to Reno's face.

"Heh, well, you know, back when I was in the Turks, I had this habit of checking out early whenever I got stuck in a hospital. Skipped the paper work and everything, drove Tseng nuts."

"You mean you'd sneak out?"

"As soon as I could walk again. Over the years, I kinda became an expert on it. So, if you want some privacy, I could arrange it."

"No, I want to check out right, make sure there's nothing else wrong with me. Besides, there's still my outbreak. Hey... you know... even with condoms, there's still a small chance you'll catch it one day, you know that, right?" she asked.

"Yeah. Not that big a deal," he replied with a smile while looking her in the eyes.

"So you're fine with knowing you'll probably catch this eventually and be stuck with it for the rest of your life?"

"You're worth it," he told her with sincerity in his voice. "And hey, there's plenty of other stuff we can do while we're waiting for the sores to fade. Like this." That said, he leaned over and kissed her. This time, she made no move to pull away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer. Losing themselves in their passion, they lost track of time and their surroundings, focusing only on one another.

"Hey, what'd we do to deserve getting mooned?" Yuffie jokingly asked from the doorway quite a while later.

Tifa was mortified at the reminder that she was only wearing a backless hospital gown, a fact that had slipped her mind when she had straddled Reno in the heat of the moment. Blushing furiously, she reached back and pulled her sheets up over her hips. "Couldn't you knock?" she asked.

"We did," Elena replied. "Twice. We thought you two were sleeping or something. I guess it's safe for you to come in now, Rude."

"Hey," Rude said as he walked in, "I heard the news, congratulations. You two decide when you'll have the wedding yet?"

"Thanks, man," Reno replied with a wide grin. "We haven't really talked about when yet, gotta get Tif' here all mended up first."

Yuffie asked, "So, did the doctor see you yet?"

Still blushing, Tifa turned to look at her visitors before replying, "No, we've been waiting all morning." She then turned and slid off Reno's lap, careful not to flash anyone as she sat down next to him. He kept one arm around her as she did this, pulling her close as she settled down. Looking over her visitors, Tifa noted that Elena and Yuffie were in their work clothes, fitted black business suits, although neither woman was wearing her tie at the moment. Standing a bit behind them, Rude was dressed much more casually, in old jeans and a t-shirt that bore the faded logo of Rabid Moogle Whisky.

"We brought you two some clothes and stuff," Yuffie offered, holding up three full plastic bags as the trio claimed seats around the bed.

"I probably should wait until after the doctor gets here, otherwise I get the feeling I'd have to change back into the gown for the exam."

"Yeah, probably," Yuffie agreed as she set the bags aside. "We brought you two some lunch too."

Elena handed over a paper bag from the Sub Pen and two cans of cola to Tifa and Reno. "We picked up a behemoth & bacon and a Costan club, both with everything on them."

"Everything?" Reno asked, pausing in reaching into the bag to direct a suspicious glance at Elena.

"They left the olives off the behemoth sub," she replied.

"Good. Guess this one's yours then, it's got the little bastards all over it," he said as he handed a sub to Tifa.

"So, I guess you two've been having all sorts of fun while we've been gone," Elena teased with a grin.

"Hey, you know me," Reno stated nonchalantly as he removed the remaining sub from the bag.

"Yeah," Elena replied. "Probably had so much fun that I'll be an unofficial aunt again before long. I guess since you two're getting hitched, you'll probably start a family soon enough. Reno's gone on about how he'd like to have kids someday before, so he'll probably talk you into having a few. You two ever need a sitter so you can get some private time after having kids or need anything else like that, I'm sure Rude or I'll be able to help."

Reno donned his best poker face and replied, "Yeah, thanks for the offer, but you're kinda jumping the gun here. So, I miss anything exciting outside?"

"Not really," Elena answered. "Why'd you change the subject so suddenly?"

"No reason."

Tifa decided that it would come out eventually and stated, "It's alright, I don't mind. He's trying to change the subject because that's a bit of a sensitive topic for me. See, I can't have children."

"Oh," Elena stated in surprise. "Sorry."

"It's fine, I'm used to it," Tifa said, forcing a smile.

"You know," Reno suggested, "we could always adopt."

"You'd do that?"

"Hell, yeah. We both like kids, this way we could take in one or two, have our own happy little family and all that."

Tifa closed her eyes for a moment and considered the possibility with a smile on her face. "Yeah, I'd like that... Not right away, of course. Maybe sometime after our honeymoon."

"Sounds fun," Reno added before lightly kissing her on the lips.

Yuffie smirked and joked, "Almost sickening, how lovey-dovey those two're getting," drawing chuckles from the two ex-Turks who'd accompanied her.

Reno opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Excuse me," a skinny man in a brown suit and matching tie said as he stepped into the room and held up a badge. "I'm Detective Zenigata from the Junon Police Department and I'd like to have a word with Ms. Lockheart."

"What's this about?" Tifa asked, lowering her half-eaten sandwich.

"I'm just here to ask if you want to press charges against Mr. Strife, ma'am."

"I didn't know you could put someone in a coma on trial."

"We can't. But there's no statute of limitations on attempted murder. So if you say yes, we can file it away along with the video from the ATM camera and put him away when he wakes up."

"I don't know..." Tifa said with a thoughtful expression. "Something seemed a little... wrong about him that night. I've never seen him that drunk before, and he only ever drank heavily when he was really upset about something."

"You think he was pissed about us?" Reno asked.

"Could be, but in any case, I think he's probably been punished enough."

Reno looked surprised by this. "What, you're going to just forgive him?"

"Sending him to prison seems pointless, it won't bring back what he's taken. I might even forgive him if he's apologetic, although I doubt I can ever consider him a friend again. Or maybe I'll kick him again when he wakes up, I don't know. You all probably think I'm being stupid for being too forgiving."

"Well," Reno stated, "being that I'm another guy you were too forgiving towards, I'm not gonna make a fuss about him if you don't wanna."

"If you change your mind or have any questions, Ma'am, just give me a call," the detective said before handing over a business card. "I'll leave you to rest now, Ma'am. I hope you make a swift recovery." That said, he exited the room.

"So," Tifa began, "What've you been up to while I was out, Yuffs?"

"Business, mostly," Yuffie replied. "It's all boring stuff you probably don't want to hear about. Y'know, like trying to convince them it's a good idea to re-negotiate copper import tariffs and sell us their new artillery technology. Not exactly the most exciting part of my job," she said while rolling her eyes. "But at least it gives me an excuse to come visit you and gets me away from Dad's nagging for a while."

"He still bugging you about grandkids?" Tifa asked with an amused look on her face.

"Ugh, don't get me started," Yuffie declared while rolling her eyes again. "Always going, 'Yuffie-chan, why aren't you married yet? If your brothers had survived the war, I'd be surrounded by grandchildren by now.' and trying to hook me up with these slimy guys who're only interested in me for my title. Can you believe he actually told me, 'In a few years, you'll start getting wrinkles and sagging and no man will want to look at you, so you'd better hurry and get married'. I'm barely twenty-one, damnit! Grr... Annoying old geezer. And before I left to fly here, he said, 'Good luck and try to bring back a nice foreign husband while you still can'. Can you believe his crap?"

Tifa remarked, "Sounds like he's getting desperate."

"Yeah, and the more desperate he gets, the more annoying he gets. Damned old..." Yuffie's rant was cut off by a knock at the door that preceded the entrance of a gray-haired man in a white doctor's coat.

"Ah, Ms. Lockheart, it's good to see that you're awake."

Looking annoyed, Reno asked, "The hell took you so long?"

"Priorities. It's been a busy day down in the ER. Now, young lady, follow my finger with your eyes," he instructed as he pulled a penlight from a pocket and shined it in her eyes while moving one of his hands to the side. "Good," he said as he put the light away. "Are you feeling anything unusual? Dizziness? Nausea?"

"No."

"Good. The stitches can come out in ten days. Until then, I'm putting you on a weight restriction. No lifting more than twenty pounds. And try not to move around too fast or twist around. Now, a nurse will be along shortly with the paperwork for checking out."

"That's it?" Reno asked. "We waited over six hours for some shit that barely took five minutes?"

"Sorry, but this was as early as I could come," the doctor apologized before leaving the room.

"Anyone wanna bet the nurse'll make it here before dinner?" Elena joked.

"She better," Reno remarked. "I wanna hurry up and get outta here."

"Well, guess I can get changed now," Tifa said. "Anyone know how to get the sides on this bed down?" After a round of shrugs from her visitors, Reno once again climbed over the side and picked her up. This time, she was careful to hold the back of her gown shut when he set her down. "Um, I've only got two hands, and it takes both to hold this shut right, so could someone help me with the bags?"

"Gotcha covered," Reno volunteered as he grabbed the bags. "You'll probably need some help with the whole 'no stretching too much' thing too," he stated as he followed her into the bathroom.

Elena teasingly accused, "You're just doing that as an excuse to mess around with her, aren't you?"

"Nope, just getting changed," he replied while giving his best innocent look. "Besides, we're engaged now, so anything we do together's automatically respectable as long as we don't let you all watch."

"I don't think that's how it works," Rude spoke up with an amused expression on his normally unreadable face.

"Yeah," Yuffie chimed in, "that's only when you're married."

Tifa smiled and replied, "Well then, I guess it's a good thing we aren't planning to do anything naughty until we get some real privacy," as she reached past Reno to close the door.

"Hey, before I forget," Yuffie called through the closed door, "I've got to warn you two, there's some reporters waiting outside the hospital with cameras. So you two might want to shave."

"Alright, now, let's see what's in the bags of goodies they got us," Reno remarked.

"Any shampoo in there?" Tifa asked. "Feels like my hair needs washed."

"Don't see any, but mine's in the stall if you wanna borrow it."

"So, you want the suds back after I rinse them out?" she teased.

"Heh, you know what I meant."

"Yeah. I oughta shave too. There a razor in there?"

"Hold on. Yeah, here you go," he said as he handed her a disposable razor and a bottle of shaving gel.

"Thanks. Hey, mind helping me get out of this thing again?"

"Wait, you really think I'd mind helping you get naked? Hey, I'll even step out and grab one'a those gloves, show you that trick I was talking about earlier if you want."

"No, I wouldn't want all the people on the other side of that door to hear us," Tifa replied, wishing that circumstances would allow Reno to do as he'd offered.

"What, you're that loud?" he teased as he untied her gown.

"Maybe. That depends on how good you are," she answered with a sly smile as she stepped into the shower. A moment later, she unexpectedly burst out laughing. "I thought so!" she announced as she turned around, holding Reno's shampoo bottle. "For color treated hair!" she read from the bottle with a wide grin. "I thought that hair of yours was too bright to be natural."

"Hey, it's natural." he claimed. She silently replied by looking at the bottle again, then giving him a skeptical look. "Well, mostly natural. It's kinda embarrassing, but I kinda started getting a few gray streaks at twenty. Job stress and all that. So I cover it up to match the rest. So, you done laughing at my shampoo yet?"

"I guess it's had enough. Sorry, I wouldn't've laughed if I knew why you used it." Tifa told him as she turned on the water.

"Well, hey, help me touch up the roots and I'll call it even. The ones around back're a pain in the ass to get right."

"Funny you should mention that, because this's about as far as this hand'll reach," she stated, holding her left hand level with her forehead.

"Say no more, I'll be right in," he declared as he began to quickly disrobe. A moment later, he was standing behind her in the shower, lathering up her hair. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked while massaging her scalp. "You're tense, you oughta be relaxing and enjoying all the pampering you're getting."

"Sorry, but it's kinda hard to relax when I have to be treated like an invalid just to get clean."

"Hey, I'm not treating you like an invalid, I'm trading favors with you. So, you owe me one," he declared with a grin.

"That actually helps. Guess I'll return the favor when you're done, oughta be a fun little game."

"Course, you know I'm not planning on stopping with your hair."

"Mmmm, good," she purred, relaxing under his skilled hands.

* * *

Quite a while later, the much cleaner couple emerged from the shower, smiling despite the fact that both were bleeding from varied shaving mishaps. After toweling one another off, they turned their attention to the bags Yuffie had brought. "I don't suppose you saw any bandages in there?" Tifa asked.

"Nah. But there's always this old trick," he stated before sticking small bits of toilet paper on the cuts Tifa had accidentally made on his chin.

"Guess it's better than nothing," she agreed as she set to work stopping the bleeding from the tiny cuts Reno had inflicted on her knees. "Now, let's see what they brought us..."

* * *

A few minutes later, the pair finally emerged from the bathroom, with Tifa wearing a loose sleeveless knee-length light blue dress that didn't put any pressure on her stitches and Reno in a plain t-shirt and faded old jeans.

"Have a little trouble in there?" Elena asked, laughing at the evidence of their shaving difficulties.

"Well, the nurse got tired of waiting for you two..." Rude announced, wiping the smiles from Tifa and Reno's faces. "...so she left the paperwork on that table over there, said to drop it off at the nurse's station on your way out."

"Heh, you had me going for a minute there," Reno laughed as Tifa picked up the papers. She then sat on the edge of the bed and began working on the papers while he sat behind her and combed out her knee-length hair. After finishing, they picked up the remaining clothes, the large stack of cards for Tifa, and, with the help of their friends, the large number of flowers before filing out of the room. Reno also surreptitiously pocketed a large handful of latex gloves on the way out, deciding that they'd come in handy later. Following the signs on the hospital walls, they easily found their way to the floor nurse's station where they dropped off Tifa's discharge papers. A few short minutes later, they found themselves in an elevator, descending towards the main lobby.

"Guess it's about time to get professional again," Yuffie declared with a grimace as she pulled a gray and red diagonally striped tie from a coat pocket and put it on. Elena followed her example, donning a plain black tie before the elevator stopped.

As they exited the elevator, they were joined by a small team of diplomatic security agents from the Wutian Embassy. "Is this really necessary?" Tifa asked.

"Yeah, unfortunately," Yuffie replied as they approached the exit. As they passed the security station, Reno handed a receipt to one of the guards and was given back the EMR and handgun he'd checked when he'd entered the hospital.

Stepping through the hospital's front doors, they were greeted by a barrage of camera flashes and questions from the gathered reporters. Pushing through the crowd without any comments, they found their way to a limo with small Wutian flags flying from the fenders. Tifa, Reno, Elena, Yuffie, and Rude climbed into the limo and the security team split up and entered a pair of sedans that were parked at both ends of the limo.

"Like my car?" Yuffie asked as the small motorcade took off.

"Hey, any car with it's own minibar kicks ass as far as I'm concerned," Reno joked, mixing drinks for himself and Tifa while she looked through the cards she'd received.

"Well," Tifa began a few minutes later, "with this weight restriction I'm on, I can't really work. It's been long enough since I've had a vacation, guess it's time for another."

"I'll loan you my travel agent." Yuffie offered. "So, where're you two gonna go?"

"I was thinking maybe two weeks in Cosmo Canyon."

"Why Cosmo?" Reno asked. "What's there to do there?"

"Well, for starters, there's several secluded beaches in the area," Tifa answered with a sly smile.

"Alright, Cosmo sounds good to me too," Reno abruptly decided.

"There's secluded natural springs, too," Tifa added before taking a sip of the Gin & Tonic Reno had made for her.

"Sounds interesting. One of yours?" he asked.

"Yeah, never had a chance to try it, either," she replied, purposely keeping the conversation vague, because she didn't want their friends to know that they were talking about places they'd fantasized about making love to one another at.

"Well, my agent'll probably have some options lined up for you two tomorrow. No telling when you can actually ship out, though," Yuffie told them while pouring herself a glass of Cinnamon Schnapps.

"I guess in the meantime, I still haven't seen your place yet," Tifa told Reno. "It won't make much sense for us to be paying rent on two places when we'll only be staying at one, so we oughta pick one and move in together."

"Yeah, I like that idea. I've got more space at my place, and two bathrooms, but my bed's just a little twin size. But hey, we've got good sound insulation in the walls."

"We can always move my bed into your place if that's the one we go with," Tifa suggested. A short while later the limo stopped at Tifa's apartment building and her and Reno exited after a round of farewells to their friends. "Hey, wrong way," Tifa called when Reno made a wrong turn in the hallway leading to her apartment.

"Sorry, kinda hard to see through all this," he replied, having to follow her voice due to his vision being blocked by the armload of flowers and bags he was carrying.

"You didn't have to carry all of it," she said, reaching out and taking his arm to guide him away from a collision with the wall.

"Hey, I don't want you going over your weight limit and ending up back in the hospital, alright?"

"Well, hey, the door's over here," she informed him, guiding him through her doorway before continuing, "None of that looks very heavy. I could've carried some of it."

"Yeah, well, too late. Where d'ya want this stuff?"

"Good question," Tifa mused, looking over her small apartment. "I guess the live ones can go on the floor in front of this window, so they'll get some sun. Here, let me take those before you drop them." She then began pulling the live plants from his arms and setting them aside. "Alright, I don't have anywhere to put all the cut ones, so just stick everything else on my counter."

"Right. Think there's anything edible left in the fridge?"

"After sitting for two weeks? Probably not," she replied as she kicked off her shoes and sat down on her couch. "We could order out. There's some take-out menus up in the cabinet to the left of the fridge."

"Hey, there's wine up here too," Reno announced, pleased at his discovery. After searching a few more cabinets, he emerged from the kitchen carrying a small stack of menus, a bottle of red wine, and a pair of wineglasses. He then set it all on the coffee table and took a seat beside Tifa. "Well, pick one," he offered before kicking his shoes off and getting to work opening the wine bottle.

"Hmmm, been a while since I've had Wutian, and this place always delivers quickly," she decided, holding up a menu.

"Sounds good," he agreed while easing the cork out of the bottle. "I picked the menu last time, so why don't you go ahead and order for us and I'll go pick out a movie."

"Fair enough," she replied before picking up the phone and dialing.

After she hung up the phone, he asked, "How about this one?" and held up a DVD with a cover that showed a blond woman with her arms around a blond man who was holding a rapier in his left hand in the foreground and a castle and a close-up of the woman's face in the background.

"What, you like that one?"

"Doesn't everyone?" he asked. "You mean you know someone who doesn't? Inconceivable!" he quoted, causing her to laugh.

"Alright, put it in," she told him with a smile.

"As you wish," he replied with a grin.

"Heh, keep that up, and I'm going to have to start calling you 'farm boy'," she teased.

"As you wish," he repeated while sitting down next to her. "Course, you remember the whole double meaning thing, right?"

"Of course," she answered as the movie began.

* * *

Reno and Tifa were both on their second glass of wine and the characters in the movie were sailing towards the Cliffs of Insanity when dinner arrived. After pausing the movie, Reno got up and paid for their dinner, then set the various cardboard boxes on the coffee table and handed Tifa a pair of disposable chopsticks before reclaiming his seat and resuming the movie.

* * *

Some time later, Tifa and Reno were wrapped in each other's arms, watching as the credits rolled. "Ah, I love that movie," Tifa stated.

"Yeah, it's one of my faves, too." Reno added. "We definitely hafta do this again some time."

"As you wish."

"Hey, that's my line, you line thief," he joked, drawing laughter from her.

"Sorry," she laughed.

"Yeah, well, don't let it happen again," he teased.

"As you wish," she answered with a smirk, causing both to burst out laughing. "It's strange, I normally wouldn't be so tired this early, especially since I haven't really done much today."

"Yeah, I'm kinda tired too. Ready to hit the sack?"

"Yeah, I think so." After quickly putting away the leftovers and turning off the TV, they headed into her bedroom.

"So, how you feeling?" he asked while helping her change into a loose, knee-length nightgown.

"What, besides being tired?"

"Well, I didn't spot any sores in the shower. So, feeling better?"

"Sorry, but you didn't see them because they're all internal."

"Ah. Well, in that case, we've still got some options," he announced while stripping down to his boxer shorts.

"You have anything specific in mind?" she asked, intrigued as he slid into bed beside her and turned off the light before laying down with his chest to her back.

"Actually, yeah," he whispered into her ear as he wrapped his arms around her and began gently caressing her abdomen. "You ever hear the philosophy that the mark of a great lover is they only need their hands to please their love, and everything else's just a bonus?"

"No. Wait, are you offering what I think you are?"

"Yep," he answered before softly kissing her earlobe. "You know, Tif', I love you with all my being and I wanna show you that every way I know. I think you'll like this one. Now, lemme tell you about that dream I had this morning, you and me all alone on a secluded beach..." he began as his hands started to roam.

* * *

First off, sorry for the huge delay on this chapter. Aside from the usual reasons like writer's block and the fact that as much as I love to write, it's not the only thing I do in my spare time, I also had a death in the family, so didn't write anything for about three weeks. As always, big thanks go out to Noroi for betaing this and to all the readers who were kind enough to review.

Big thanks also go to The Tiramisu of Impending Doom, who sent me some fanart. I suppose having someone like your writing enough to draw something based on it's a good sign. If you want to see her rendition of the picnic scene in chapter three, you can find it at: http/img407.imageshack.us/img407/4138/retilightweight207xy.jpg

Zenigata's a reference to a fun old show called Lupin III. And, just in case anyone didn't recognize it, Tifa and Reno were watching The Princess Bride.

Once again, sorry for the delay. I plan to wrap this up in the next chapter.

New note: Edited again because some site update deleted all the '--' lines I used to use to denote scene changes. So time to slap horizontal rulers into all my fics. Wow, I can't believe this's sat so long unfinished. I may be making ridiculously slow progress on this, but I will finish it.


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